'Days Gone' Director Suggests Sequel Could Still Be Made One Day
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Featured Image Credit: Bend Studio
In spite of the recent announcement, don't consider Days Gone 2 to be a gone-r, because the game's director has shared some optimistic thoughts about the status of the intellectual property in a podcast.
Days Gone is generally regarded to be a good game, and it was stunning that Sony didn't elect to continue the story of Deacon St. John, given the strength of the gameplay from a shiny new intellectual property. Bend Studio even drew out the bare bones of a possible sequel, which were revealed when former game director Jeff Ross appeared on a podcast with God Of War creator David Jaffe. "Days Gone has sold more copies than every game the studio has ever made combined. So it's successful in that way, and in the community and player response," enthused Ross. "But the critics... yeah, that was the Normandy Beach. It was a bloodbath."
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Ross said the team wanted to integrate a "shared universe with co-op play" to Days Gone 2, and that it would have occurred alongside the single-player mode so as not to detract from the narrative. "So [it] would be with guys like Deacon trying to survive, building up a clubhouse or a crew. I think it would be fun to be in that world cooperatively and see what horde battles could be like." Though Ross didn't say it himself, the wobbly critical reception likely played a part in Sony's apparent rejection of Days Gone 2. Sony is used to its first-party titles surprising critics and gaining lots of agreeing acclaim, and while a Metacritic score of 71 isn't a straw in the wind, it isn't the sort of number that Sony expects from its games.
"Sony's got to run a responsible business. So it's OK for them to make decisions based on the anticipated return of investment, because that's the money they need to fund the next game," conceded Ross. Bloomberg's report suggested that Days Gone 2 was struck off in the company's renewed focus on guaranteeing big bucks, which is why there's another Uncharted game and a The Last Of Us remake on the cards. Apparently. Nevertheless, when Jaffe explicated that this means that smaller yet inventive games are going to be sidelined by Sony, Ross clarified that a sequel could still happen. "Never say never to anything, it's just ... maybe not right now," replied Ross.
Yesterday, Ross communicated that there are things left unsaid at the moment about his experience on Days Gone and with Sony. "I wish I could have been more forthright with some questions," he tweeted and added that the Bloomberg report has "the luxury of being able to be more honest than I'm allowed." We'll let you know how it goes.
