A biker, zombies, a new license and a critical success below expectations

Introduction

In April 2019, Bend Studio released the first installment of its new license, Days Gone, on PS4. The game is set in an Oregon post-apocalyptic world full of zombies. Players embody Deacon St. John, a biker who prefers to go where he’s needed rather than settling in a secure camp and navigates between different clans in the company of his son Boozer’s best friend. The game revolves around the search for Deacon’s wife Sarah, who is presumed dead due to the zombie invasion from the camp where she was supposed to arrive.

Gameplay

Days Gone is a survival game where players complete missions for different groups, fight against hordes of infected, and rely on a motorcycle that is an important part of the gameplay. Players must find fuel and improve their motorcycle while also using it as a combat weapon. Critics particularly praised the game’s successful world, true survival aspect, effective progression, and impressive hordes. However, the game’s story, cartoonish characters, limited AI, and messy quest system received criticism.

Sales and Future

Despite selling 9 million copies on PS4 and PC, Days Gone was considered a commercial failure. In 2019, the Days Gone 2 project was invalidated, and the teams were put to work on a multiplayer game and Uncharted. Many developers left the studio, including Jeff Ross and John Garvin. It’s uncertain whether Days Gone will have a sequel, but the studio is working on a new license.

Days Gone 2

Multiple ideas had been presented for Days Gone 2, but the project was not validated. Fans mobilized, with a petition signed by over 200,000 players asking Sony to reconsider. Jeff Ross has tweeted that Days Gone 2 should have already been released if the project had been validated and kept on schedule. The possibility of a sequel seems unlikely, but a film adaptation of Deacon’s adventure is in the works with Sheldon Turner writing the script and Sam Heughan rumored to play the lead role.