Call of Duty is undoubtedly the most renowned FPS series and no title can compete with it. However, Call of Duty veterans formed a studio called Deviation Games, which was working in partnership with PlayStation to develop a groundbreaking AAA original IP that could beat Activision’s crowned jewel. However, we are sorry to report that as of today, the studio has shut down.
The X user Rhino, known for reporting gaming-related news, recently shared that Deviation Games has downed its shutters. So, Sony would no longer be getting the Call of Duty-killer for which they partnered with the game studio in the first place. This major news first broke online when employees Andrew Carroll, a Lead User Interface Engineer, and Alec Hunstad, a Senior Character Artist, shared on LinkedIn that Deviation Games was shut down on Friday.
BREAKING: Deviation Games, the studio formed by Call of Duty veterans and previously announced that they’re developing a “groundbreaking AAA original intellectual property” with Sony Interactive Entertainment, has shut down
How do you feel about this?
Source: Kristie Stull… pic.twitter.com/8FtXNdzojv— Rino (@RinoTheBouncer) March 9, 2024
Once the news of the Sony-partnered studio’s closure began spreading, it grabbed the attention of Xbox fans. They didn’t let go of this opportunity to troll the Japanese giants. One X user claimed how PlayStation is struggling lately, while one claimed whether Sony was planning to become the next Emracer Group by shutting down so many studios.
Good lord PlayStation is struggling STRUGGLING
— NintenGOD (@AesirMalos) March 9, 2024
Is Sony trying to give Embracer a run for their money? Who can close the most studios in 2024?
— Spikey Sato (Twitch Streamer) (@ssppiikkeeyy) March 9, 2024
0 games and a lot of smoke. Playstation on a killing spread
— .. (@Maziu27190) March 9, 2024
thats why u never hype things to early
— how to feel nothing (@howtofeelnothin) March 9, 2024
A lot of Sony fans might be wondering whether the closure of Deviation Games would affect PlayStation’s near future. That is extremely unlikely as the Japanese giants still have a lot of first-party studios, that are actively working on new game projects. Moreover, Sony might already have plans to deal with the death of their COD-killer.
Why Was Deviation Games forced to shut down?
The exact reason behind Deviation Games’ closure is still unclear. However, it is not the first studio to face similar consequences in the last few months. The gaming industry is going through a rough time, as there are reports of many studios laying off a percentage of their employees to sustain themselves. However, those who were still unable to survive eventually shut down.
Deviation Games’s partners, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), were aware of the studio’s situation. Last year, GameRant reported the Japanese giants are building a new internal game studio, where they have hired a lot of former employees from the partnered studio. Even Deviation Games co-founder Jason Blundell is currently leading an unannounced project according to the X user Zuby_Tech.
Jason Blundells Project:
“Leading the design for an unannounced project!”#PlayStation5 #PS5 #PlayStation #PlayHasNoLimits pic.twitter.com/BqCCL1t5WT
— @Zuby_Tech (@Zuby_Tech) December 26, 2023
Even with the closure of the California-based studio, the plans for the Call of Duty-killer game could still be on the table. The game’s development might continue under Sony’s new internal studio which is apparently made up of former Deviation Games employees. Moreover, Blundell’s unannounced project could be that AAA shooter. However, these are only speculations, so fans should take it with a grain of salt.
