Newly surfaced concept art has provided a first-ever glimpse at the canceled PS5 live-service game from Deviation Games, a studio once backed by Sony but shuttered in 2024. The images, found in the online portfolio of a former Deviation Games artist, showcase a visually ambitious sci-fi setting—and it bears striking similarities to Concord, another troubled PlayStation multiplayer title.
A Promising Studio Cut Short
Deviation Games was founded in 2020 by Call of Duty veterans Jason Blundell and Dave Anthony, and quickly entered a partnership with PlayStation in 2021 to develop an original, “groundbreaking” IP exclusively for the PS5. Hype surrounded the project thanks to the leadership’s AAA pedigree, but trouble followed.
Blundell exited the company in 2022, followed by reported funding cuts, rounds of layoffs, and eventually, the studio’s closure in early 2024. Throughout all this, no official gameplay footage or screenshots of the Deviation title were ever made public—until now.
What the Leaked Concept Art Reveals
As first reported by MP1ST, a collection of early concept art was uncovered from a former developer’s portfolio. One standout piece features a massive cosmic scene, likely meant for the game’s start screen or a central hub, depicting a glowing planetary ring, cloudy atmospheric details, and a blood-red moon.
The cosmic visual style feels very reminiscent of the Concord CGI announcement trailer shown by Sony in 2023. While there’s no confirmed narrative or gameplay information linked to the images, the stylistic direction suggests a multiplayer shooter with spacefaring elements and stylized environments.
Echoes of Concord and Sony’s Live-Service Strategy
The visual parallels between Deviation’s canceled project and Concord are hard to ignore, raising questions about Sony’s broader direction with its live-service lineup. Both games appear to feature colorful sci-fi worlds and team-based multiplayer concepts, possibly indicating internal overlap or shared design goals across projects.
Sony had ambitious plans to release over 10 live-service games by 2026, but several have been delayed, restructured, or outright canceled. The fallout of Deviation Games marks another setback in that strategy.
Fan Reactions and What Comes Next
While the art leak is just a small window into the project, fans and industry watchers are already lamenting what could have been. Deviation’s untitled game now joins a growing list of PlayStation live-service casualties that never saw the light of day.
The concept art, however, offers more than just aesthetic value—it provides a valuable historical record of a game lost to time, and a visual legacy for a studio that once carried so much promise.