Days Gone was actually a very decent zombie game, and it did a great job of lining up those zombie hordes for us to endlessly kite and shoot. Whilst it obviously had its problems, it did more than enough to create anticipation around what project developer Bend Studios was going to jump into next.
Since then, much of that anticipation has fallen by the wayside, as Sony put the kibosh on several projects that the development studio was working on. That's left fans confused at what was going to happen next, with the good news being that the developer is actively working on a game.
If recent rumours are to be believed, that game may well be a live service title, and expectant players couldn't be less thrilled.
Over on Reddit, one user shared an article that confirmed that, at the very least, they are working on multiplayer games, though live service wasn't confirmed as the format for those games.
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Despite that, many in the responses were unhappy at the mere prospect of that future. "I'd be shocked if Bend Studios is still around in a few years... How many disappointments / failed projects can one studio have before Sony pulls the plug?" one said.
"They should've just made Days Gone 2 lol. They had a good foundation with the original, they just needed to take it to the next level and they'd have a zombie game that would gain a spot in the zombie hall of fame along with Dying Light, Left 4 Dead, The Last of Us, etc," another added.
Others point to the relationship between Sony and Bend Studios, and the pressure from the top to create as much profit as possible, as a major issue. "I know the requirements for a new IP are more tedious for Sony now, but I don't know what the Bend leaders think. They've already wasted five years of their lives on a live service project that came to nothing, cost them staff, and they want to do it again (supposedly). At this point, do an AA," one said.
Whatever does happen with Bend Studios moving forward, it's fair to say that they've got a long way to go to address the concerns of the community. They certainly had plenty of goodwill after their zombie effort, so it would be nice to see them recapture that with another game, whatever that might look like.