Sony Shuts Down Studio Before It Even Releases Its First Game

Sony closes Dark Outlaw Games, founded by Jason Blundell, amid ongoing cuts in the gaming division

Sony has shut down Dark Outlaw Games, a studio founded in 2025 by Jason Blundell, known for his work on the Call of Duty Zombies franchise. The developer was reportedly working on a new AAA intellectual property that was never officially revealed.

The information was reported by journalist Jason Schreier, from Bloomberg, in a post published this Tuesday (24).

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🧩 Studio Follows a Pattern of Cancelled Projects

Dark Outlaw Games became part of Sony’s structure after the closure of Deviation Games, Blundell’s previous studio, which shut down in 2024. At the time, the company was also working on a PlayStation-related project that never saw the light of day.

Although Deviation Games was not officially owned by Sony, it had a partnership with the company, highlighting a pattern of canceled projects involving the developer.

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📉 Layoffs Affect Dozens of Employees

According to Jason Schreier, the shutdown is part of a broader wave of cuts within Sony, including a reduction in investment in mobile games.

Around 50 employees are expected to be affected, reflecting an internal restructuring within the company’s gaming division.

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📺 Former Developer Announces Livestream

Following the news, former developer JCbackfire announced a livestream on his YouTube channel.

The broadcast will feature Jason Blundell and is scheduled for Wednesday (25) at 4 PM (Brasília time). The topic of the livestream has not yet been disclosed.

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🏢 Sony Has Closed 10 Studios in a Decade

With the shutdown of Dark Outlaw Games, Sony has now closed around 10 studios over the past decade.

Notable closures since 2016 include Sony Japan Studio and Firewalk Studios, known for the game Concord.

Another recent case is Bluepoint Games, famous for remakes like Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus, which was also shut down earlier this year.

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