Sony has announced the establishment of a new first-party studio named Dark Outlaw Games within its PlayStation Studios division. Jason Blundell, a veteran of the Call of Duty series, leads the new studio and confirmed its formation during an interview on Monday. Blundell noted that Dark Outlaw is actively recruiting additional staff, although he did not disclose any information regarding the studio’s inaugural project, mentioning that more details would be revealed at a later time.
Sony Launches Dark Outlaw Games
Blundell unveiled Dark Outlaw Games in an interview with Jeff Gertsmann on Monday. “I’ve had the amazing opportunity to create a new studio within PlayStation Studios for Sony. The studio is called Dark Outlaw Games. We’ve been working away in the shadows for a while, and when we’ve got something to talk about, we’ll step out into the light,” he stated towards the end of the conversation.
According to Blundell, the studio is in the process of finalizing its first project and currently focused on expanding its team.
“But you know the story for me is about the game, not about the studio, so the reason why we’re not doing a fanfare or shouting about it from the rooftops is like, let’s get something, right?” Blundell explained.
He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with Sony as a new first-party studio, stating, “Sony doesn’t set up first-party studios all the time. To have that privilege is humbling. I’m really excited,” he added.
Blundell mentioned that the studio has been “staffing up” for a while but refrained from elaborating on specific projects. The former Treyarch developer highlighted the importance of fostering teamwork and innovation, stating the focus is on “getting the team to gel, getting the ideas clicking” and testing concepts. He affirmed that the team will “work tirelessly” to prepare for their first project.
Blundell is well-known for his significant contributions to the Call of Duty franchise while working at Treyarch, where he played a key role in developing single-player campaigns and the Zombies mode across several titles, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Black Ops 3, and Black Ops 4.
After departing Treyarch in 2020, he founded Deviation Games, which received backing from Sony to create an original triple-A intellectual property. However, Blundell left Deviation in 2022, and the studio faced major layoffs before ultimately closing in 2024.
