Deviation Games which received PlayStation backing a year after it was formed has announced closure. The announcement was made by the studio’s chief HR and operation officer Kriste Stull. Before its closure, Deviation Games was working on its debut IP which sadly will not see the light of day.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Deviation Games,” wrote Stull on LinkedIn. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to our entire team. Thank you for all your hard work, dedication, and contributions to Deviation; I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have worked with each and every one of you.”
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“To the entire video game industry, we will be hosting a networking event, and we would love for any/all companies/studios hiring to participate. Please reach out to me directly if you are interested in attending.
“To all the Deviators out there, we will always cherish the memories we made together. Thank you for being a part of our journey. Go get ’em!”
Deviation Games was founded in 2020 by Dave Anthony and Jason Blundell who are famous for their contributions to the Call of Duty: Black Ops franchise. The studio which started with about 10 employees grew to over 100 by 2021 when it signed a deal with PlayStation to develop an original triple-A IP for the company.
By 2022, Blundell left the company signaling potential problems. In May last year, the company trimmed its employee size in a layoff round. Regardless of what the company has been through, a closure may be the least expected outcome because in 2021 when Anthony spoke with GamesIndustry.biz, he was enthusiastic about the partnership with PlayStation.
“It’s absolutely mind-blowing,” Anthony said at that time. “For us, we have never been in a situation like this before, where we’ve got everything we could possibly ask for. From day one of the studio, we have complete financial security for years and years to come.”
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The About section of Deviation Games LinkedIn Page claimed the founders started the company “to develop the types of games they themselves want to play”. Sadly, we never got to see what type of games the founders wanted to play. The profile also stated that the company had 51 to 200 employees.
Outpouring of emotions from former Deviation Games employees
Following the closure of Deviation Games on Friday, March 8, 2024, several former employees of the company have made posts about the closure, either reminiscing about their experience or soliciting employment opportunities. However, some also contained interesting insights about the shuttered studio.
“Hello gang! Sadly, my time at Deviation Games has come to an end,” wrote senior environment/material artist Carlos Rizo. “Since the very beginning! with a team the size of 10 amazing people and leadership that grew to 100+.
“I learned so much from those I worked with over the past 4 years. I have even changed my career course because I was inspired and given the opportunity to grow and help the team. Sadly, I will not be able to share the work I have accomplished in those years publicly.”
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Senior environment artist Tyler Moore was pained by the friends he had to part ways with following the closure of Deviation Games. “As much of you already know, Deviation Games has closed,” Moore wrote. “With a very heavy heart, I have to say goodbye to the artists and friends of Deviation. Over the past 4 years, I have learned tremendously as an artist and have made lasting friends.”
Lead user interface engineer Andrew Carroll, technical designer Cameron Smith, gameplay/AI programmer Alec Greene, and gameplay AI engineer Rui Xie all made posts about the closure and shared their portfolio.
GameBaba Universe included links to the profiles of all those mentioned in this post so that it will be easy for anyone with an open position to reach out to them.
