Sony Shut Down Dark Outlaw Games Despite “One Hell of a Game” in Development, Says Studio Lead

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The Game Was Also Not A Live-Service Title.

Story Highlight
  • Dark Outlaw Games lead Jason Blundell has stated that the studio was making one hell of a game.
  • The former Call of Duty developer said the quality of the title was not the reason for the studio’s closure.
  • Instead, Sony shifted its strategy and had to cut the studio and its employees.

Sony has shut down over half-a-dozen first-party studios in this generation, cancelling multiple titles and wasting the time of many developers. The Japanese giant added another studio to this horrible track record recently when it closed Dark Outlaw Games.

Led by former Call of Duty developer Jason Blundell, whose previous studio, Deviation, was shut down, Dark Outlaw Games was making an original title for PlayStation, and according to the developer, it was an incredible game.

Why it matters: So many talented developers have fallen victim to Sony’s indecisive strategy this generation, and Dark Outlaw Games is just another addition.

Dark Outlaw Games Sony
Jason Blundell’s new AAA title was not a live-service title.

Speaking to JCbackfire, Jason Blundell stated that fans will mourn the studio’s closure because it was making “a hell of a game.” The former Black Ops developer explained that Dark Outlaw Games was not shut down due to the quality of the title.

You’re gonna mourn what could have been because we were making a hell of a game. I can assure you it wasn’t (the quality of the game). It’s a big company and decisions have to be made and I respect that.

Rather, the studio’s closure was due to a shift in Sony’s strategy, and Blundell holds no ill will towards the company. Moreover, the developer confirmed that the PlayStation game he was working on was not a live-service title.

Regardless, this is another example of Sony’s haphazard direction of its first-party studios this generation, which has led to the cancellation of countless titles like the God of War multiplayer game, the Days Gone trilogy, and the Last of Us online title.

Marathon concord sony
Jason Blundell was not developing a live-service title like Marathon or Concord.

The company has now closed eight studios this generation and cancelled more than ten games, and we can only hope the count stops there.

Do you think Sony’s strategy for first-party titles this generation has been below par? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.

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