Days Gone 2 Likely To Be Bend Studio's Next Project

Bend Studio's Days Gone received mixed reviews from critics. Some panned the mission design and technical issues in the game, while others praised its graphics, artificial intelligence, and Sam Witwer's performance as Deacon St. John. The story also received a mixed reception. Sony, too, indicated a cloudy future for Days Gone as bad reviews at the debut apparently deterred PlayStation from continuing the franchise. That, however, is likely to change soon.

Days Gone was developed by Bend Studio, and they don't seem to be having a good time. Sony closed down their live service project, resulting in them cutting contracts with several of their staff. Schreier from Bloomberg speculated that they might have been working on something fans have long yearned for—that of a trip back to Days Gone's universe.

The cancellation could indicate that Sony still finds promise in Days Gone. The game sold over 8 million copies, even though the reviews were mixed. In terms of context, that is rather near the sales record of Horizon Forbidden West, a generally praised game. These figures showed that Days Gone was far from a failure and connected with huge viewers.

Through fixes and improvements throughout time, the game improved greatly despite its difficult start, which was marked by bugs and glitches. Its riveting story and original approach to the zombie survival genre attracted a devoted fanbase. Regretfully, some media sources were too critical, usually ignoring the game's positives. However, after the game's issues were fixed, new content was added, and more gamers came to value the game's richness and narrative.

The demand for the sequel—a petition seeking Days Gone 2 has gathered over 231,000 signatures since 2021—highlights the pure enthusiasm and dedication of its fans. The Days Gone community has been vocal about this desire. To add to their thrill, there is apparently a Days Gone movie under development.

Sam Heughan, well-known for his performance in Outlander, is allegedly playing Deaconess John, the game's protagonist, based on August 2022 rumors. Aimed as a high-profile endeavor, the film might compete with Netflix's The Witcher or HBO's The Last of Us series. A good movie adaptation may revive franchise enthusiasm and support a sequel's argument.

Additionally included are a God of War-related project by Bluepoint Games and a Horizon MMO game from NCSoft. With these failures, Sony might rethink its approach and reallocate resources back to single-player, narrative-driven experiences—of course, exactly what Days Gone does.

There is hope that Bend Studio might revive the Days Gone and work on a single-player game since the live service game was canceled. Sony has made it clear that PlayStation will clearly focus on single-player titles, something they are best at doing. Since Bend Studio remains PlayStation's first-party developer, Sony has acknowledged that they are working with the company to determine its future course. This future indicates only one thing, Days Gone 2.

Yes, it's correct that Bend Studio has had its share of difficulties, but they have shown their dedication by fixing the issues Days Gone had during launch and eventually grew a very large dedicated fan base. Rumor had it that the live service game's cast comprised a new IP with a military sci-fi theme. Speculation points to it being somewhat related to the Days Gone and centers on the mysterious group NERO from the first game. Although this project will never see the light of day, it is encouraging to know Bend Studio is still under active development in its next endeavor.

Prominent among the original Days Gone developers—Jeff Ross and John Garvin—are no longer employed with the Bend Studio. John Garvin has disclosed that he also penned a whole script for Days Gone, even after leaving. The first game closed on a cliffhanger, which leaves lots of space for a sequel to develop a narrative. Having a basis already in place, the change to a second game might go more smoothly than beginning from nothing. One has numerous grounds to be optimistic about Days Gone's future.

The termination of Bend Studio's live service game might present a chance to review the much-loved franchise. Strong sales of the game, together with a keen fan base and an expanding petition, show that a sequel is still much sought after. Since great adaptations often give fresh vitality to their source material, the forthcoming Days Gone film likewise has the power to revive franchise interest.

Sony's latest challenges with live service games could lead to a comeback to single-player story-driven games, in which case Days Gone has already shown value. Since Sony is now paying attention to what the fans want and giving Bend Studio a chance, Days Gone's future may be brighter than ever. Bend Studio might be laying off staff, but that doesn't mean they won't be hiring new staff to work on Day Gone 2.