Days Gone Director Says "Never Say Never" On Sequel | Screen Rant
Open-world zombie survival game Days Gone is one of PlayStation's most successful new IPs, but recent rumblings suggest that Sony has zero interest in continuing the franchise. That said, the first game's director, Jeff Ross (who left Bend Studio at the end of 2020), says that fans shouldn't rule out the idea of a sequel ever happening.
Days Gone released in 2019 to mixed critical reception, but was a massive hit commercially. It was beloved by many players and managed to sell a lot of copies globally. It seemed like a sequel was a guarantee, but Days Gone 2 was rejected by Sony after the rocky release of the first game. Reports suggest that the mixed critical reception was a factor in Sony's decision, along with the game's extensive and tumultuous production. It was believed that Bend Studios would do its best work on a different game, so it was moved along.
On the other hand, Days Gone director Jeff Ross recently spoke on a stream with David Jaffe and said that there's a chance a sequel could happen, just not any time soon. "Never say never to anything, it's just maybe not right now," said Ross. He also went on to commend the initial report from Jason Schreier, stating on Twitter that the journalist is able to convey things much more honestly than Ross due to a lack of NDAs.
Sony reportedly started turning Bend Studio into an unofficial spin-off of Naughty Dog, splitting teams across the next Uncharted game and supporting work on a multiplayer project for a Naughty Dog title which is believed to be related to The Last of Us 2. Bend spent time leading the new Uncharted while Naughty Dog supervised, but the project eventually became unproductive and Bend requested a new, unknown project. It's unclear what the team is working on now, but it seems there's a lot of problems with the current state of Sony, at least as far as this unlucky studio is concerned.
Whether or not another Days Gone is a possibility is unknown, but there's intense demand for a sequel from fans. If Bend Studio's next title is a success, that might give the company enough bartering power to lobby for a sequel. Perhaps the new PC port of Days Gone can begin to change Sony's mind as well, if it makes a noteworthy impression on its new audience, but at this point it's hard to say. Sony seems to be doubling down exclusively on its more prestigious titles like God of War and The Last of Us; perhaps Days Gone just doesn't fit that mold for the company despite the high demand for a sequel.
Source: David Jaffe, Jeff Ross
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