Bend Studio
5 years later, fans still want a Days Gone sequel but Sony has moved on
Days Gone is celebrating its 5th anniversary, and while it was misunderstood at launch it has since earned a place in the heart of its hordes of fans.
On this day, 5 years ago, Days Gone was released. With the premise of offering a universe similar to that seen in The Last of Us but in an open environment, Bend Studio brought to life the story of Deacon St. John, a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world who, more than the infected, had to survive the grief that overwhelmed him over the death of his wife, Sarah. That was precisely the starting point of a game that wanted to present a protagonist much more human than usual in the genre of the living dead - or “freaks”, in this case - as Deacon, like Joel, was far from what we understand as a hero.
In the company of his friend Boozer, another biker, Deacon barely survives doing menial errands, but there is something inside him that tells him that the truth about Sarah’s death has not yet been written. In this way, he will begin to meet other survivors aboard his motorcycle, one of the hallmarks of Days Gone alongside its environment, set in the state of Oregon, is one of those that invites you to explore it, regardless of fast travel. The North American northwest is characterized by the lushness of its forests, as well as an active wildlife, so even though it was not an open world full of surprises, it was one that was a pleasure to explore on the back of Deacon’s “steed”.
However, it was not the only distinguishing feature of Days Gone, and that is that clashes against hordes of freaks left us with great moments of tension. Showing off our entire arsenal, and of course, inventiveness and elements of the environment - there was never enough ammunition to kill dozens of enemies -, Bend Studio tested our nerves with massive encounters that were sometimes avoidable... but not like this in others, and some were part the main plot.
In short, Days Gone had all the ingredients to succeed, but it didn’t. At least not to the extent expected. In the press the reception was not good, but the general feeling was not so positive. The generic secondary missions and some technical problems were the main buts of a title that fell far short of what it truly deserved, sporting a 71 on Metacritic that says absolutely nothing about the real quality of the game and that would condemn it definitely to clearly undeserved ostracism.
What Sony didn’t expect is that the hordes of Days Gone defenders were as enthusiastic as those of freaks. No matter which platform we go to: mostly Very Positive reviews on Steam, 4.6 stars out of 5 on the PS Store, 4.3 on GOG, and 8.5 out of 10 on Metacritic from users. As it could not be otherwise, today, April 26, on the fifth anniversary of the game, social networks have been filled with memories about the title.
What happened to the Days Gone sequel?
That 71 was probably too hard on Bend Studio, since at least the members who were no longer there argued that the importance that Sony gives to Metacritic is vital when it comes to giving the green light to a possible sequel when we talk about a new IP. One of those critical voices, the most in fact, was that of Jeff Ross, its director.
In January 2022 the success of Ghost of Tsushima would be announced after just under two years on the market: Jin Sakai’s adventure, directed by Sucker Punch, had reached the more than interesting figure of 8 million copies sold. , something not insignificant when we talk about a game exclusive to any platform. Ross did not hesitate to speak on Twitter about these. “When I left Sony, Days Gone had sold 8 million copies in a year and a half,” he said. “Now it will have sold more, plus another million on Steam. Management always made us believe that it was a big disappointment.”
Since the release of Days Gone, according to Ross, more than 90 people who worked on the game have left Bend Studio, something he felt “Sony doesn’t seem to care about.” Ross himself regretted, after a PlayStation Showcase broadcast in May 2023, that Days Gone 2 I could have already been released, and that he felt sadness after each event of this type.
As published by Bloomberg back in April 2021, Sony’s decision was based on two reasons: the development of several years, too many, of the original installment and... its critical reception. We do not know if it was one of those cases known as development hell, but it would also cost the position of John Garvin, creative director and writer for the game. “I’m no longer at Bend Studio and I’ve been away for over a year. Since the release of Days Gone, I have focused on personal projects,” Garvin said in December 2020.
Today it is possible to enjoy Days Gone not only on PlayStation 4, but also on PlayStation 5 and PC -through Steam and GOG-, having been updated to 60 fps in both its versions for the current generation of Sony and for compatible ones. Is it worth holding out hope to one day see a sequel? It seems unlikely, and at the moment, Bend Studio is involved in another project that does not seem to be coming out in the medium term.