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PlayStation shuts down Dark Outlaw Games and signals pullback from mobile gaming efforts

Job cuts and pullbacks!

Story Highlights
  • PlayStation has shut down Dark Outlaw Games, a studio formed in 2025 under Jason Blundell.
  • PlayStation confirms scaling back on mobile games but previously announced titles will be supported.
  • Around 50 layoffs reported across US and UK teams, including mobile divisions.

While the major story is that PlayStation has shut down Dark Outlaw Games, the mobile gaming side of things is also seemingly taking a hit. This move away from small screens is noted as PlayStation carries out a fresh round of layoffs across the US and UK.

While the company has reportedly described the number as small, reports suggest around 50 employees may be affected. These cuts are said to span across multiple teams, which might include parts of its mobile development efforts.

PlayStation’s interest in working on mobile games was from a long-time

That said, PlayStation is not exiting mobile entirely. Previously announced titles such as MLB The Show Mobile, Ratchet & Clank: Ranger Rumble, and projects tied to its partnership with NCSOFT will continue to be supported. However, beyond these, the company plans to “scale back in this space” and focus on projects with higher priority.

MLB The Show Mobile release cover
Image via Sony San Diego

The company’s earlier ambitions about making a name in the growing mobile gaming market are well-known. Since 2021, Sony has been vocal about bringing PlayStation IPs to mobile, even aiming at one point to have nearly half of its releases on PC and mobile by 2025.

The acquisition of Savage Game Studios in 2022 and the formation of a dedicated PlayStation Studios Mobile Division further reinforced that push, alongside multiple reports of AAA mobile titles in development and expanding with free-to-play mobile titles.

As for Dark Outlaw Games, the studio was formed just last year as part of its incubation initiative. The team was led by Call of Duty Zombies veteran Jason Blundell and had yet to reveal or release its first project, making the closure an early and somewhat abrupt end to the studio’s journey.

As reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, this marks the second project tied to Jason Blundell that PlayStation has seen shut down. His previous studio, Deviation Games, was working on a PlayStation project before it was closed in 2024.

More layoffs today: PlayStation is closing Dark Outlaw Games, a studio formed last year by former Call of Duty lead Jason Blundell (his previous PlayStation studio, Deviation, was shut down in 2024). PlayStation is also making other cuts including in mobile development. Around 50 people laid off.

Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T18:10:02.888Z

To avoid confusion, there’s no clear indication that Dark Outlaw Games was working on a mobile title, as some early speculation suggested. The studio’s closure and PlayStation’s mobile pullback appear to be separate developments happening at the same time.

Stories for further reading:

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