PlayStation favorite David Jaffe’s studio, The Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency, announced on Tuesday that it will shut down. The decision comes just over a month after Jaffe announced that the company was laying off a “vast majority” of its staff after the cancellation of the developer’s next project.
The news was revealed in a tweet by Jaffe, asking fans if they wanted any of the gaming props and memorabilia housed in the Bartlet Jones offices in San Diego, Calif.
Any So Cal gamers interested in owning some gaming history? Sadly we are shutting down our Bartlet Jones offices and there’s some great props that we’re trying to unload to folks who are into such things. Ex: Sweet Tooth’s machete we used in TM2012 movies; Sweet Chick’s mask,etc.
— David Jaffe (@davidscottjaffe) February 28, 2018
The shuttering of the Agency seems like it might have come somewhat unexpectedly, as Jaffe expressed a desire to have the office’s collection be auctioned off to benefit the videogame-related charity Extra Life, but would not have the time needed to coordinate the delivery of the larger, heavier and oddly-shaped items to the Extra Life offices.
IDEALLY it would go to a charity like Child’s Play to auction off but the time to set up shipping of such odd shaped and HEAVY items is something we just don’t have time to take on.
— David Jaffe (@davidscottjaffe) February 28, 2018
The news couldn’t have been too surprising, considering January’s drastic downsizing and the poor performance of the studio’s only release, 2017’s abrasive multiplayer shooter Drawn to Death.
Jaffe did reveal that the studio had been working on a PlayStation VR title that would allow players to fight crime as Marvel’s Iron Man. It’s unconfirmed whether this was the project whose cancellation led to the layoffs, but Jaffe did say that Marvel knew nothing about the project and the studio was preparing to pitch it to them in order to secure funding.
FYI: We had a PSVR IRON MAN game we were prototyping at Bartlet Jones! It was unfunded and @MarvelGames knew NOTHING about it (we were gonna pitch it to them later and HOPE they liked it!:). You could talk to JARVIS using PSVR mic while flying around;was so cool! Maybe one day!:) pic.twitter.com/0QSYkyAogh
— David Jaffe (@davidscottjaffe) February 27, 2018
Jaffe will always be remembered for his work on PlayStation stalwarts Twisted Metal and God of War, but the closing of Bartlet Jones after releasing only one game will no doubt impact his legacy.