The PlayStation 5 has just lost one of its next exclusives with the permanent cancellation of a big AAA game that has been in development for several years now.
The video game industry is going through a very difficult period which spares nothing for those who make the games. After a dark year in 2023 with mass layoffs, it unfortunately continues in 2024. Even within companies which generate billions and which are more than in the green like Xbox and PlayStation. In the case of Sony Interactive Entertainment, this even led to the closure of SIE London Studio. The teams responsible for the excellent Blood & Truth on PSVR. And it’s the turn of another entity to officially close its doors. Even though the developers were never able to present their first PlayStation 5 game.
Deviation Games’ PlayStation 5 exclusive canceled for good
In 2021, Dave Anthony, CEO of Deviation Games, proudly announced a partnership with PlayStation to develop a new original license on PlayStation 5. A previously unknown studio founded by former Treyarch (Call of Duty Black Ops), including Dave Anthony and Jason Blundell. Since the announcement, the company has never revealed the nature of their project. The only certainty is that it was one of the many PlayStation 5 service games in development. According to clues or speculation, it could have taken the form of a shooter or a co-op action-RPG.
But as the months went by, the situation within Deviation Games began to deteriorate with the departure of Jason Blundell. Last year, the studio was hit by a very worrying massive wave of layoffs. Almost all of the employees had probably been fired, and this is confirmed. After individual speaking engagements, Deviation Games announced its closure and therefore the cancellation of its unrevealed PlayStation 5 game.
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the closure of Deviation Games. I would like to express my gratitude to my team. Thank you for all your work, dedication and contribution to the studio. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with each of you. To the entire video game industry, we are going to organize a networking event. And we would like all recruiting companies and studios to participate. To all Deviators, we will always cherish the memories we made together. Thank you for being part of this adventure.
Kriste Stull, HR Manager for Deviation Games, via LinkedIn.
said Kriste Stull, Human Resources Manager at Deviation Games. We don’t have any more details on what really happened, but the PlayStation 5 exclusive from Deviation Games no longer exists.