10 Ridiculous Reasons Video Games Were Blamed For Failing
2. People Not Buying It Full Price - Days Gone
Though open-world zombie game Days Gone was a solid commercial hit for Sony, reviews were wildly mixed compared to almost all of PlayStation's AAA first-party offerings of the period.
This was reportedly a primary reason for Sony's decision not to proceed with a Days Gone sequel, which Bend Studio pitched to the publisher after the original's release.
But the game's writer and co-director John Garvin ultimately felt that a sequel would've been produced regardless had the game sold more, and while appearing on a podcast hosted by God of War creator David Jaffe, went on to blame frugal and budget-conscious gamers. Garvin said:
"I do have an opinion on something that your audience may find of interest, and it might piss some of them off... If you love a game, buy it at f**king full price. I can't tell you how many times I've seen gamers say 'Yeah, I got that on sale, I got it through PS Plus, whatever.'"
Obviously decrying players who waited for a sale to play the game - a game that, again, received mixed reviews - is totally silly, and ignores the fact that Days Gone simply wasn't received as the high-caliber AAA title that PS4 owners were expecting.
That doesn't mean it's a bad game, because it isn't, but that Sony ultimately felt it clearly didn't have the makings of a franchise IP.