PlayStation Forms New Studio Dark Outlaw Games Led by Call of Duty Zombies Creator

Sony has expanded its PlayStation Studios family with the establishment of Dark Outlaw Games, a new first-party studio led by veteran game developer Jason Blundell. Blundell, best known as one of the principal creators behind Call of Duty’s popular Zombies mode, has been appointed as studio head and director of the new venture. Prior to this role, Blundell spent 13 years at Treyarch, eventually becoming co-studio head before departing Activision in 2020.

“I’ve had the amazing opportunity to create a new studio within PlayStation Studios for Sony,” Blundell revealed in a recent interview with Jeff Gerstmann. “The studio is called Dark Outlaw. We’ve been working away in the shadows for a while, when we’ve got something to talk about we’ll step out into the light.”

Following his time at Activision, Blundell co-founded Deviation Games, which had secured a partnership with Sony to develop an original IP exclusively for PlayStation platforms. Despite reportedly growing to over 100 employees and having what was described as “complete financial security for years and years to come,” Deviation Games ultimately closed its doors in 2024 without releasing its debut project.

Dark Outlaw Games appears to be in its early stages, with Blundell confirming the studio is currently “staffing up” and focusing on team development. “It’s about getting the team to gel,” he explained. “I’m a programmer at heart so let’s test those assumptions, is it working?… You’re trying to hit that escape velocity.”

Blundell declined to provide specific details about the studio’s production timeline or its first project, only mentioning that the studio has been operational “for a little bit of time.”

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