Deviation Games has announced that co-founder Jason Blundell is leaving the company. In 2021, ex-Treyarch developers Jason Blundell and Dave Anthony united to found Deviation Games and quickly announced that the studio was commencing work on a “ground-breaking” all-new IP in collaboration with PlayStation. Unfortunately, nothing has thus far materialized of the project and very little has been said until now.On September 9, 2022 Deviation broke its near seven-month radio silence on Twitter to confirm that Blundell had indeed stepped down from his role with the studio, which will now be helmed entirely by CEO Dave Anthony. Anthony established an impressive pedigree with Treyarch alongside Blundell, having been a part of some of the most important releases in the Call of Duty franchise such as Call of Duty: World at War and the ever-pervasive Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.The void created by Blundell’s departure from Deviation will be filled by Westwood Studios co-founder Louis Castle. Castle’s name is often most closely associated with the classic Command & Conquer strategy game franchise, and this outside perspective may substantially reshape whatever the studio is currently working on. Most of the high-ranking staff seem to have experience with big-budget shooters, and Castle’s experience in other genres could potentially shift the trajectory of the title’s development in a new direction.
Deviation Games began production on its new PlayStation-affiliated IP in late December, so Blundell’s influence on the final product will likely be minimal. With that in mind, it will likely be quite some time until fans hear anything concrete about this upcoming project. It’s also worth noting that, a Call of Duty veteran with thirteen years of experience at Treyarch, Blundell was, in particular, renowned for his influence on the franchise’s zombies mode.
It’s not inconceivable that the groundwork laid in part by Blundell will bear some similarities to the Call of Duty games he worked on in the past. In fact, given Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Activision, Sony and PlayStation may be gearing up for a competing series to debut once Xbox finally claims Call of Duty as a console exclusive. Xbox's Phil Spencer has claimed that Call of Duty will remain a cross-platform title for many years to come, though, if Sony hopes to successfully establish a competing FPS franchise after the plug is pulled, then development should begin immediately, and a team of experienced ex-Call of Duty devs should handle its creation.