PlayStation Visual Arts Suffers Layoffs Due to “a Large Pivot” on a AAA Multiplayer Game

Sony’s in-house production studio PlayStation Visual Arts, which has has routinely provided development support for animation and art on a number of PlayStation Studios projects over the years, has been hit with layoffs following an internal shift on an unnamed AAA multiplayer game.

This information comes from employee John Borba, who was, until recently, project coordinator at the studio. Taking to LinkedIn, Borba revealed that he was among several people at PlayStation Visual Arts who were recently let go “to support the new budgetary needs” following “a large pivot” on a AAA multiplayer title that the studio had been working on.

Borba has not named the project in question, though presumably, he is referring to Naughty Dog’s standalone multiplayer The Last of Us game. Recent reports claimed that following an internal reevaluation, Sony had decided to scale down the project. Naughty Dog said in an official statement at the same time that it needed more time to work on the game before formally unveiling it.

At the same time, the AAA multiplayer game being referred to could also be Deviation Games’ PS5 title, which, according to recent reports, has been cancelled following the studio being hit with a round of layoffs.