{"id":1848044,"date":"2026-03-26T11:53:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T08:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1848044"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:53:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T08:53:03","slug":"cancelled-ps5-project-from-call-of-duty-vet-and-dark-outlaw-games-wasnt-going-to-be-a-live-service-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1848044","title":{"rendered":"Cancelled PS5 project from Call of Duty vet and Dark Outlaw Games wasn&#8217;t going to be a live-service release"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Cancelled PS5 project from Call of Duty vet and Dark Outlaw Games wasn&#8217;t going to be a live-service release<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;Times change, focus changes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Dark-Outlaw-Games-company-logo-showing-the-silhouette-of-person-wearing-a-trench-coat-and-fedora-hat-against-a-yellow-background.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Dark Outlaw Games company logo showing the silhouette of person wearing a trench coat and fedora hat against a yellow background\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Dark-Outlaw-Games-company-logo-showing-the-silhouette-of-person-wearing-a-trench-coat-and-fedora-hat-against-a-yellow-background.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Dark Outlaw Games<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Victoria Phillips Kennedy avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1644925423.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Victoria Phillips Kennedy avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1644925423.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/victoria-kennedy\">Victoria Phillips Kennedy<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      News Reporter<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-03-26T11:53:03+00:00\">March 26, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/cancelled-ps5-project-from-call-of-duty-vet-and-dark-outlaw-games-wasnt-going-to-be-a-live-service-release?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          1 comment<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Despite what many had assumed, Dark Outlaw Games&#8217; recently-cancelled PlayStation game was not a live-service one.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday, it announced Dark Outlaw Games &#8211; a studio headed up by Call of Duty veteran Jason Blundell, and which was founded barely a year ago &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-closes-dark-outlaw-games-and-downsizes-mobile-gaming-efforts\">was being shut down by Sony<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Details on what the studio had been working on remained unclear, however given the recent pull back by Sony on its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-exec-jim-ryan-believes-live-service-games-will-dominate-over-subscriptions\">once lofty live-service plans<\/a>, it was widely presumed that Dark Outlaw Games was developing something along these lines. But, it turns out this was not the case.<\/p>\n<p>This little nugget into the behind the scenes at Dark Outlaw Games was confirmed during a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/twitch\">Twitch<\/a> stream with junior game designer JCBackfire and Blundell. The two developers reflected on recent news, with JCBackfire stating he &#8220;loved the type of project&#8221; the studio was working on, noting it &#8220;wasn&#8217;t a live-service game&#8221; (something he was &#8220;stoked about&#8221;).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>While the duo recognised that the studio&#8217;s fate and its game&#8217;s cancellation &#8220;hurts a little bit&#8221;, they have no hard feelings towards PlayStation. Rather, they put the cancellation down to a tough business environment and &#8220;industry stuff&#8221;, saying it wasn&#8217;t a case of the game&#8217;s poor quality.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Times change, focus changes, but the project we were doing and what we were doing\u2026 I think fans would have been very excited,&#8221; Blundell said, <a href=\"https:\/\/clips.twitch.tv\/SpicyUnusualWoodpeckerKreygasm-HFQgEvAZ25ACnx7t\">before adding in good humour<\/a>: &#8220;The best game is the one you never play.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed_wrapper\" data-domain=\"twitter.com\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Oh wow, turns out the game Dark Outlaw Games was working on under PlayStation was NOT a live service game \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>Now I\u2019m even more curious on what they were working on<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JCbackfire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JCbackfire<\/a>\u2019s live stream <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/G0DMJV72Ld\">pic.twitter.com\/G0DMJV72Ld<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Radec (@realradec) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realradec\/status\/2036894574925279395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<p>Other studios shuttered by Sony over the past few years include Firewalk, which was closed following the failed launch of its live-service shooter Concord. The game was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/concord-pulled-from-sale-as-sony-admits-our-initial-launch-didnt-land\">taken offline just two weeks after its PC and PS5 debut in 2024<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>More recently, Bluepoint &#8211; the studio behind the widely praised Demon&#8217;s Souls remake and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/uncharted-nathan-drake-collection\">Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection<\/a>, to name just two &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-closes-acclaimed-demons-souls-and-shadow-of-the-colossus-remake-studio-bluepoint-despite-acknowledging-it-had-delivered-exceptional-experiences-for-the-playstation-community\">was also shut down by Sony<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Despite what many had assumed, Dark Outlaw Games&#8217; recently-cancelled PlayStation game was not a live-service one.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday, it announced Dark Outlaw Games &#8211; a studio headed up by Call of Duty veteran Jason Blundell, and which was founded barely a year ago &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-closes-dark-outlaw-games-and-downsizes-mobile-gaming-efforts\">was being shut down by Sony<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Details on what the studio had been working on remained unclear, however given the recent pull back by Sony on its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-exec-jim-ryan-believes-live-service-games-will-dominate-over-subscriptions\">once lofty live-service plans<\/a>, it was widely presumed that Dark Outlaw Games was developing something along these lines. But, it turns out this was not the case.<\/p>\n<p>This little nugget into the behind the scenes at Dark Outlaw Games was confirmed during a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/twitch\">Twitch<\/a> stream with junior game designer JCBackfire and Blundell. The two developers reflected on recent news, with JCBackfire stating he &#8220;loved the type of project&#8221; the studio was working on, noting it &#8220;wasn&#8217;t a live-service game&#8221; (something he was &#8220;stoked about&#8221;).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>While the duo recognised that the studio&#8217;s fate and its game&#8217;s cancellation &#8220;hurts a little bit&#8221;, they have no hard feelings towards PlayStation. Rather, they put the cancellation down to a tough business environment and &#8220;industry stuff&#8221;, saying it wasn&#8217;t a case of the game&#8217;s poor quality.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Times change, focus changes, but the project we were doing and what we were doing\u2026 I think fans would have been very excited,&#8221; Blundell said, <a href=\"https:\/\/clips.twitch.tv\/SpicyUnusualWoodpeckerKreygasm-HFQgEvAZ25ACnx7t\">before adding in good humour<\/a>: &#8220;The best game is the one you never play.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed_wrapper\" data-domain=\"twitter.com\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Oh wow, turns out the game Dark Outlaw Games was working on under PlayStation was NOT a live service game \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>Now I\u2019m even more curious on what they were working on<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JCbackfire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JCbackfire<\/a>\u2019s live stream <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/G0DMJV72Ld\">pic.twitter.com\/G0DMJV72Ld<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Radec (@realradec) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realradec\/status\/2036894574925279395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<p>Other studios shuttered by Sony over the past few years include Firewalk, which was closed following the failed launch of its live-service shooter Concord. The game was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/concord-pulled-from-sale-as-sony-admits-our-initial-launch-didnt-land\">taken offline just two weeks after its PC and PS5 debut in 2024<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>More recently, Bluepoint &#8211; the studio behind the widely praised Demon&#8217;s Souls remake and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/uncharted-nathan-drake-collection\">Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection<\/a>, to name just two &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-closes-acclaimed-demons-souls-and-shadow-of-the-colossus-remake-studio-bluepoint-despite-acknowledging-it-had-delivered-exceptional-experiences-for-the-playstation-community\">was also shut down by Sony<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Cancelled PS5 project from Call of Duty vet and Dark Outlaw Games wasn&#8217;t going to be a live-service release &#8220;Times change, focus changes.&#8221; Image credit: Dark Outlaw Games News by Victoria Phillips Kennedy News Reporter Published on March 26, 2026 1 comment Despite what many had assumed, Dark Outlaw Games&#8217; recently-cancelled PlayStation game [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1848044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1848044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848044\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1848044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1848044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1848044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}