PlayStation Showcase: 10 Games We Could See

Bend Studio's last title, Days Gone in 2019, very much came and went without a whole lot of fanfare despite selling relatively well. While it had some exciting enemy encounters, it fell into the same trap as many other open-world games with a bland, sparse map, repetitive game play, and a middling story, leading to a very mixed reception and, as such, unfortunately falling by the wayside.

We do know that initially a sequel was pitched to Sony, but as Bloomberg reported in 2021, it was rejected, a decision that was divisive for not only fans of the original but apparently for the development team too. It wasn’t until a blog post in June 2022 that we received some insight into their next project, with community manager Kevin McAllister stating:

"We are currently working on a new IP that includes multiplayer and builds upon the open-world systems of Days Gone but brings you a whole new world that we are extremely excited to craft for you. We cannot wait to reveal it to you when the time is right."

It very much sounds like the team is trying to do what they wanted to with their planned sequel but instead with a brand new IP this time around, building upon what they learned while making their last title.

It feels like enough time has passed that Bend Studios should tangibly have something ready to show us. While some may be disappointed at the lack of a follow-up to Days Gone, we can at least hope whatever they have been working on takes the best from what they have already learned and offers up an intriguing new story and world.