Former Call of Duty Director From Treyarch Opens New First-Party PlayStation Studio

Jason Blundell revealed in an interview that he is heading a new first-party PlayStation studio called Dark Outlaw Games, which currently has a game in active development.

In an interview with Jeff Gerstmann, Blundell mentioned that the studio is experimenting with different ideas to determine what works before stepping into the limelight.

He has not disclosed any details about the projects they are working on. “Dark Outlaw Games has been working in the shadows for a while. When we have something to talk about, we’ll step into the light,” Blundell said. He explained that the reason they are not making a big announcement is that they are focused on the game, not the studio’s launch.

The studio is still in the “staffing up” phase, meaning they are actively hiring to complete their team. Blundell also revealed that the studio has been in operation for quite some time.

Throughout the interview, Blundell expressed his appreciation and enthusiasm for starting a new studio under PlayStation Studios. “Sony doesn’t set up first-party studios all the time. To have that privilege is humbling, it’s really nice. I’m really excited.”

Blundell was a producer and director for several Call of Duty games developed by Treyarch. He worked as a producer on Call of Duty 3 and served as the director of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. In 2020, Blundell left Treyarch, and a year later, he announced that he was co-founding Deviation Games.

Deviation Games was a studio in partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment. However, Blundell left the studio after just a year in 2022. Deviation Games eventually shut down in March 2024 after suffering significant layoffs in May 2023.