Deviation Games, a studio formed by former Call of Duty developers and in a partnership with PlayStation, has shut down. The company only opened in 2020 and did not release a single game, but was working on an unannounced PlayStation exclusive.
This comes shortly after PlayStation announced plans to lay off 900 workers across its own studios, joining other industry giants in a seemingly endless stream of cuts and job losses. Deviation hasn’t provided a reason for its studio closure, so it’s not clear if this is in response to the layoffs at PlayStation.
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“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Deviation Games,” says Kriste Stull, HR lead at Deviation. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to our entire team. Thank you for all your hard work, dedication, and contributions to Deviation; I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have worked with each and every one of you.”
It’s not clear how much warning employees were given that the studio would be closing. Another post from Stull from just a few months ago shows Deviation looking for a new hire. Now, Deviation devs are looking for new jobs at other studios.
“To all the Deviators out there, we will always cherish the memories we made together. Thank you for being a part of our journey” – Kriste Stull, Deviation Games
Deviation was founded by Jason Blundell and Dave Anthony, two lead developers on Treyarch’s Call of Duty games. Blundell left just two years later with no reason given for his departure, but Anthony stayed on as CEO until the studio’s closure. It’s not clear what the team at Deviation was working on for PlayStation, but Sony must have been impressed with it, signing a deal with the company just a year into its existence. This deal with PlayStation has not been mentioned in any statement on Deviation’s closure so far, so it’s not clear if this weighed into the decision to shut down.
Gaming industry layoffs in 2024 are fast approaching last year’s figures already, with the bad news coming in almost immediately into the new year. In January, Microsoft announced a wave of layoffs affecting around 1,900 employees. This amounted to 8.6 percent of Microsoft’s entire workforce and came shortly after it successfully acquired Activision Blizzard King for roughly $69 billion.
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