Deviation Games’ partnership with Sony was made public in June 2021, with the announcement only going as far as to say the 100-person studio was currently working on a “brand-new original IP”, said to have already been in development for a year at the time. Blundell’s departure from Deviation - which comes even before the studio’s first title has been officially revealed - was announced in a statement shared on Twitter. It did not elaborate further on Blundell’s leaving, only saying," We appreciate the contributions Jason has made and we wish him the best in his future endeavours". Deviation Games’ other co-founder, Dave Anthony, will stay on as CEO following Blundell’s departure, with the studio noting Anthony has also “assumed the role of game director this past year and remains a guiding force as we look ahead”. Elsewhere in its statement, Deviation highlights a number of industry veterans who’ve recently taken roles on the team, including Call of Duty game designer Tony Flame, and God of War franchise alumni Dean Rymer and Jonathan Hawkins. Additionally, Louis Castle - co-founder of the legendary Westwood Studios - has joined as senior vice president of development. “This plethora of talent makes Deviation uniquely equipped to continue leading the ever-evolving games industry into the future,” the statement concludes, “including with the continued development of our previously announced, groundbreaking AAA original IP”. Deviation’s PlayStation-exclusive project is believed to be one of more than 10 new live-service games Sony is planning to release over the next four years.
