🚨 DAYS GONE 2 RESURRECTION? BEND STUDIO DROPS CLUES AFTER REMASTER EXPLODES & LIVE-SERVICE NIGHTMARE – DEACON’S BACK AT TGA? 🏍️💀😱
You mourned it dead… but 240K fans + remaster sales tsunami = Sony cracking? Leaks scream single-player revival – is #9 the zombie apocalypse we crave? One TGA bomb could UNDEAD this forever…
Miss the horde & you’ll HAUNT your regrets! 👻🔥
As The Game Awards 2025 looms just days away on December 11 at the Peacock Theater, the zombie-slaying world of Days Gone is roaring back to life in fan circles. Hosted by Geoff Keighley, the star-studded event promises world premieres and surprises, but none may ignite more passion than whispers of a Days Gone sequel. Bend Studio, the Oregon-based PlayStation first-party developer behind the 2019 open-world hit, has fans on edge after canceling a troubled live-service project, releasing a blockbuster remaster, and teasing “cool shit” ahead.
Days Gone launched to mixed reviews in April 2019, earning a 71 Metacritic score amid launch bugs and a lengthy 40+ hour campaign that divided critics. Players controlled Deacon St. John, a biker surviving Freaker hordes in post-apocalyptic Oregon, with innovative motorcycle mechanics and dynamic weather. Initial sales were solid – over 9 million copies by 2021 – but Sony rejected a sequel pitch due to development woes and perceived underperformance compared to blockbusters like The Last of Us. Former director Jeff Ross confirmed the pitch in 2021, calling it an “uphill battle,” while writer John Garvin departed amid frustrations.
Post-rejection, Bend shifted to a new IP. Sony confirmed in 2021 it built on Days Gone’s open-world systems, but job listings revealed a AAA live-service multiplayer title codenamed “Mirror Pond” – a military shooter with mocap animations and procedural elements. Development dragged three years before Sony axed it in January 2025 alongside Bluepoint’s project, citing live-service struggles like Concord’s flop. Layoffs followed in June, slashing 30% of staff (about 40 people), per Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.
Bend’s community manager Kevin McAllister thanked supporters, posting: “P.S. We still plan on creating cool shit.” Ex-devs hint at a new single-player Unreal Engine 5 project, possibly “Eclipse” – an open-world survival shooter sans zombies, targeting PS6 in 2029 with a $150M budget. Leaked LinkedIn updates from animator David Morrison detail canceled efforts, fueling speculation.
Enter the remaster: Announced February 2025 at State of Play, Days Gone Remastered hit PS5, PC (Steam/Epic) April 25 with upgraded visuals, DualSense haptics, 60fps, and minor content tweaks. It “smashed sales,” per insiders, reigniting the cult following. YouTube channels like ChaosGaming hail it as proof Sony’s “listening,” with theories of a PS6 launch sequel.
Fans aren’t waiting. A Change.org petition for Days Gone 2 nears 240,000 signatures, with daily X tags to @BendStudio and @PlayStation. Posts scream: “Deacon back!” amid movie rumors starring Sam Heughan. VerdictVaultX threads detail the push: remaster success + live-service pivot = sequel greenlight?
Yet caution prevails. McAllister quashed hopes in 2024: “Time to move on… We are working on a new IP.” Ross pitched alternatives like open-world Resistance, rejected too. Sony’s live-service pivot – post-Bungie woes – prioritizes singles like God of War, Horizon.
TGA timing adds intrigue. Keighley’s event drew 118 million views last year; PlayStation’s showcase history (Spider-Man 2, Stellar Blade) teases big PS5 reveals. No Bend presence confirmed, but fan hype peaks: X buzz links it to TGA statue teases. Insomniac’s hack leaks proved real; could Bend follow?
Broader context: Sony’s 2025 slate shines – Clair Obscur leads noms – but first-party droughts loom. Bend’s silence since 2019 (Uncharted: Golden Abyss aside) risks irrelevance. Remaster’s PC push echoes Horizon Zero Dawn’s turnaround to Forbidden West. If sales data sways execs, Days Gone 2 – expanding Deacon’s story, horde tech evolved – fits PS5 Pro era.
Risks? Overhype backlash, like Suicide Squad. Bend’s ex-devs cite “multiple canceled projects,” signaling turbulence. Still, petition momentum and remaster vindication pressure Sony. As one X user posted: “Fandom won’t quit.”
Tune in Thursday: Will Bend ride again, or zombies stay buried? Heroes like Deacon don’t die easy.
