PlayStation has officially launched a new first-party studio, Dark Outlaw Games. The studio will be led by Jason Blundell, the former co-president of Treyarch and one of the key creators of the Call of Duty: Zombies series.
Blundell left Activision in 2020 after 13 years and was one of the founders of Deviation Games, an independent studio that, unfortunately, did not manage to release its first project.
Blundell’s Vision for Dark Outlaw Games
Blundell shared in an interview with Jeff Gerstmann that he was excited about the chance to build a new development team under PlayStation Studios. He said, “It’s a privilege to work with Sony on a new first-party studio. They don’t often open new internal studios, so this is a real honor.” He also mentioned that Dark Outlaw Games has been operating quietly for some time. However, they will reveal more when they have something ready to share.
Currently, Blundell is focused on making the team work efficiently. As he explained, “At my core, I’m still a programmer. We are in the process of formulating hypotheses to ensure everything works as it should.”
What Will Dark Outlaw Games Focus On?
While Blundell has not yet revealed what Dark Outlaw Games’ debut project will be, his background suggests that Sony might be aiming for a successful live service experience. This is especially relevant considering Sony’s previous struggles with the Concord live service game. After the failure of Concord, Sony may be adjusting its approach to live service games. However, it’s also possible that Sony is simply being more selective about the projects it decides to invest in.
