The once-bright future of the neophyte gaming studio, Deviation Games, is starting to look uncertain following the latest revelation by one of the most trusted insiders in the gaming industry.
Colin Moriarty, the founder of Last Stand Media and long-time editor over at IGN, hinted at the cancellation of Deviation Games' in-development PlayStation 5 title.
Founded by a bunch of ex-Call of Duty developers, Deviation Games struck a deal with Sony to create a world-class FPS title for the PS5 in 2021. Since then, we've heard very little about this game. But, Deviation Games' inner turmoil has been the subject of discussion over the internet, especially after the co-founder, Jason Blundell, left the studio. The game, which has never been officially revealed, faced even more setbacks following the layoffs at Deviation and Final Strike Games, one of the project's rumored supporting studios.
Now, Moriarty, in his podcast, Sacred Symbols, shared that a source informed him of the situation over at Deviation Games.
According to Moriarty, the cancellation and the layoffs are linked, implying that Deviation Games' project, which had cost Sony north of $50 million to get off the ground, is no longer happening.
For now, we're awaiting official confirmation, but Moriarty's reputation and source indicate that the game's cancellation is imminent if it hasn't happened already.
The studio's goal of creating a new AAA IP for the PlayStation 5, which was rumored to receive years of support, showed a bit of promise. But, the current market isn't kind to projects with a Games as a Service (GaaS) revenue model. The games with a similar monetization scheme that is still on the market are either barely surviving or thriving due to several factors - there's no in-between. It would've been difficult for Deviation Games' FPS title to find a niche when most shooters like Halo Infinite and Battlefield 2042 can't keep up with the behemoths in the gaming industry like Call of Duty and, to a lesser extent, Apex Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and more.
We hope this doesn't mean the end of Deviation Games, a promising studio that's hit some bumps in the road.
For now, fans can look forward to Sony's upcoming PlayStation Showcase.
