Just over five years have passed since the release of the PlayStation 5. During this period, we’ve seen numerous video game launches, various hardware and accessories distributed, but also a significant number of game cancellations. Most notably, several teams that were part of PlayStation Studios have been shut down.
Sony has made the decision to close numerous development studios over the years. In light of recent news, it might be beneficial for everyone to review the current situation and put these events into perspective.
PlayStation Studios Teams
Here is a list of the teams that have been closed and the year it occurred:
- 2020 – Manchester Studio
- 2021 – Japan Studio
- 2023 – PixelOpus
- 2024 – London Studio
- 2024 – Firewalk Studios
- 2024 – Neon Koi
- 2026 – Bluepoint Games
- 2026 – Dark Outlaw Games
As you can see from the list, the closures began with Manchester Studio, which was founded in 2015 and primarily focused on VR content. Japan Studio was the next loss, with the team eventually restructuring around Team ASOBI (known for Astro Bot). Japan Studio is famous for developing titles like Ape Escape and Shadow of the Colossus through various internal teams.
PixelOpus was one of Sony’s smaller studios, the creator of Concrete Genie. It seemingly didn’t find its niche within a company that is increasingly focused on large-scale productions. London Studio (known for SingStar, Blood & Truth…) was closed in 2024. This year has been particularly difficult for PlayStation, witnessing layoffs even in major teams like Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and Guerrilla Games. Additionally, Firewalk Studios was closed following the reported failure of Concord, and Neon Koi (acquired in 2022 when it was still called Savage Game Studios), which was meant to focus on mobile titles, didn’t even get the chance to release a single video game.
Moving to 2026, these early months marked the end for Bluepoint Games, a studio dedicated to high-quality remakes and remasters. For some time, they were reported to be working on an unannounced God of War live service game, known through various reports.
Finally, the most recent news involves the closure of Dark Outlaw Games, an incubation team managed by Jason Blundell, a veteran of Treyarch (Call of Duty). Blundell previously led Deviation Games, a studio that was never part of PlayStation but had collaborated with the company until its closure in 2024.
This is a somber summary, as each closure has unfortunately meant the layoff of dozens, if not hundreds, of developers who then had to seek new employment. We sincerely hope that we won’t need to report similar news again in the near future.