Deviation Games, the LA-based AAA game development studio, has announced its closure.
Founded in 2020 by senior Call of Duty developers Dave Anthony and Jason Blundell, the studio is shutting down without releasing a single project over 3+ years.
Kriste Stull, the chief of HR & Operations at the company, posted on LinkedIn, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Deviation Games. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our entire team”.
She would further go on to say, “To the entire video game industry, we will be hosting a networking event, and we would love for any/all companies/studios hiring to participate. Please reach out to me directly if you are interested in attending.”
Stull would then turn to her former fellows at Deviation saying “To all the Deviators out there, we will always cherish the memories we made together. Thank you for being a part of our journey. Go get 'em!”
In June 2021, Deviation Games announced a partnership with Sony, where they would develop a new IP for the PlayStation 5, with reports stating an existing team of 100+ onboard.
At the time, Dave Anthony had said, “This has been our dream, since we were very young, to set up a studio together.” He would go on to say, “It's absolutely mind-blowing. For us, we have never been in a situation like this before, where we've got everything we could possibly ask for. From day one of the studio, we have complete financial security for years and years to come”.
However, since then, it has never seemed to be smooth sailing. In September of 2022, co-founder Jason Blundell left the company, with around 90 employees being laid off in May 2023.
Last Month, Jim Ryan, the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, stated the company would let go 8% of its workforce, which amounted to 900 employees approximately. We also saw the complete shutdown of the PlayStation London Studio. Similarly, January saw Microsoft laying off around 9% of their gaming-related staff, with Cisco and DocuSign announcing similar plans in February.
Troubling news for PlayStation 5 titles as the console is already in the later stages of its life. At least we might still get Dune Awakening on the PS5.
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