Following the recent confirmation of its esteemed remaster studio Bluepoint Games’ closure, Sony has now announced the shutdown of Dark Outlaw Games. This studio was founded by Call of Duty veteran Jason Blundell and had been publicly revealed in 2025.
Reports of the closure initially surfaced online, indicating that Dark Outlaw Games was still in the early stages of developing an unannounced project. These reports were swiftly corroborated by industry insiders. Furthermore, it was confirmed that Sony had laid off an unspecified number of staff, with estimates suggesting around 50 employees were impacted.
A spokesperson for Sony confirmed the shutdown, stating that ‘Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Studio Business Group has made several strategic adjustments to support long-term sustainability.’ The statement added that ‘limited workforce reductions across select teams’ were part of this process, expressing appreciation for ‘the contributions of all those impacted.’
Dark Outlaw Games was officially unveiled in March 2025. Blundell had previously noted they had been developing a project ‘for a while’ before its public announcement. At the time, Blundell had expressed significant enthusiasm for partnering with Sony as a new first-party studio, calling it a ‘privilege’ and a ‘humbling’ opportunity.
Before Dark Outlaw, Blundell had co-founded Deviation Games in 2021 with fellow Call of Duty veteran Dave Anthony, also intending to collaborate with Sony. However, Blundell departed Deviation in September 2022, and that studio subsequently closed in 2024 without ever releasing a title.
Jason Blundell is a highly regarded figure within the Call of Duty franchise, having served as executive producer for the first two Black Ops titles and director for Black Ops 3. He departed Treyarch in 2020 after a 13-year tenure, describing his experience there as ‘nothing short of awesome.’
Despite such an impressive resume, the current climate in the gaming industry sees frequent major layoffs and studio closures. Although 2023 was considered a particularly challenging year, the trend of job losses has persisted into the current year. Recently, Epic Games, creators of Fortnite, announced layoffs affecting over 1,000 employees, citing financial sustainability concerns. This month alone has also witnessed further workforce reductions at companies including Ubisoft, Crystal Dynamics, and Amazon.