In his latest article regarding Sony’s alleged obsession with blockbuster games, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported that Bend Studio had been plotting a sequel to its action-adventure survival horror title Days Gone but was ultimately rejected by PlayStation executives due to the first game’s lengthy development and mixed reception. Days Gone director Jeff Rose has now contradicted those claims, noting in a recent broadcast with God of War director David Jaffe that the sequel was actually still in production before he left the studio. The implication is that Days Gone 2 might still be happening, but Schreier has stood by his story, going so far as to state that Ross isn’t telling the truth. He also dismissed Ross’ claim that Bend becoming a support studio for Naughty Dog was merely a rumor without any truth behind it.
Update: Ross has seemingly confessed that Days Gone 2 was, in fact, cancelled back in 2019. Based on his departure from Bend Studio that very same year, Ross may have been referring to a very early prototype that was presented to Sony but rejected after he left.
Thanks to everyone who attended the podcast with Jaffe. I wish I could have been more forthright with some questions. Just remember @jasonschreier is a journalist who takes his craft seriously. And he has the luxury of being able to be more honest than I’m allowed. https://t.co/MCbvItFwvs
— Jeff Ross (@JakeRocket) April 11, 2021
I haven’t watched the video, but if Jeff Ross said that Days Gone 2 was in production when he left, he was not telling the truth. And if he said that Bend was “never” going to become a Naughty Dog support studio, he was making an overstatement about decisions that’d be made over his head in the first place. […] have none of you ever worked at companies where management said some corporate shenanigans would never happen and then of course they inevitably happened? You people can be so naive sometimes. Someone at Naughty Dog told me a couple of weeks ago that they already half-jokingly refer to Bend as Naughty Dog North. Would that actually happen? I have no idea, and neither does Jeff Ross.
Sources: Gaming Route, David Jaffe, Bloomberg, Jason Schreier