20 Ridiculous Reasons Video Games Were Cancelled
10. The First Game's Mixed Critical Response - Days Gone
It was extremely clear that Sony released 2019's open world action game Days Gone with the intent of launching a new franchise, but in 2021 it was revealed that Sony rejected developer Bend Studio's pitch for a sequel, largely due to the mixed critical response to the first game.
Sony has proven they care deeply about the critical perception of their first-party titles, and while Days Gone's PS4 Metacritic score of 71 isn't great, it's also fair to say that Sony Bend massively improved the game with post-launch patches.
More to the point, Days Gone sold 7.32 million copies on PS4 alone, just a sliver below Bloodborne's 7.6 million, and that's without even counting its PC release or the recent PS5 remaster.
Days Gone is far from a perfect game, but to toss away a potentially lucrative franchise because of its so-so Metascore, when the game is in a much better state today and has sold very well despite the reviews, seems absolutely ludicrous.