Deviation Games' PS5 Exclusive Project Doesn't Appear to Be Progressing Well | Push Square

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Deviation Games was one of a flurry of new studios Sony signed exclusivity arrangements with earlier in the generation, but while the likes of Haven Studios and Firewalk have since been officially acquired by the Japanese giant, co-founder Jason Blundell departed his team late last year. Now it seems like the project may have hit a brick wall, as an enormous chunk of the developer has been laid off, with reports suggesting up to 90 staff may have been cut.

This follows speculation earlier in the week regarding Final Strike Games. The Rocket Arena developer had allegedly been working alongside Deviation Games as a support studio on a AAA title, but also laid off a round of staff recently, with some remarking that Sony may have pulled the plug on a project. We know that it conducted an internal review earlier this month which also culminated in the closure of PixelOpus, so it seems possible – albeit unconfirmed – that the platform holder may have dropped this release.

Of course, exactly what the team was working on is unclear. Full production was planned to get underway in 2022, and the team had grown to as many as 100 employees in late 2021. But by September of last year, Blundell had left, and we haven’t heard a peep since. The team consisted of a lot of Call of Duty and Destiny veterans, so it’s assumed it was working on some kind of co-op first-person shooter, but that was never officially confirmed.

We’ll contact Sony and try and get some update on the status of Deviation Games, but we’re not holding our breath for a response. It’s probably safe to say this one just wasn’t coming together…

A true PlayStation veteran, Sammy's covered the world of PS gaming for years, with an enormous Trophy count to prove it. He also