Days Gone was released around 2019, near the tail end of the PlayStation 4 era, and it was a painful launch period. The gaming community had high hopes for the open-world zombie apocalypse title; however, those expectations were crushed by countless bugs and other performance issues along with a convoluted storyline that did not land accordingly to convince the gaming community that this was a game worth seeing through to the end.
Public opinion shifted over time and fans have begged Sony for a sequel. Unfortunately, the publisher was unwilling to support the developers, and director John Garvin holds a grudge against the gaming company for the treatment they received.
Days Gone Director Throws Shade at Sony for Reducing His Game as a Promoter
A sequel could build on everything that made the first game feel so enjoyable.
⛶
Days Gone blended several “zombie tropes” and created something unique.
⛶
Sony Bend was once working on the Days Gone sequel.
⛶
Deacon St. John and his wife, Sarah
⛶
⛶
John Garvin is still bitter about Sony snuffing his creative vision. Garvin believed if more positive reviews had been released during the launch of Days Gone, the developers would have been granted permission to expand the franchise with a much more ambitious and refined sequel. Unfortunately, the game originally launched with a mixed reception from the gaming community, and the game was badly reviewed by critics which is not a good look, especially since PlayStation is renowned for having high-quality and positively reviewed first-party titles.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is celebrating the release of Team ASOBI’s Astro Bot for the PlayStation 5. Usually, other first-party studios under the umbrella of PlayStation Studios would support these launches by sharing artwork featuring their notable protagonists. Garvin was not a fan of his work being reduced as a promoter of other projects and in typical fashion, the director threw shade at Sony for this.
Days Gone director on Astro Bot: “Kinda sad that Deek has been reduced to promoting other games …”
byu/Soplox inplaystation
Garvin remained optimistic that management over at Sony would have a change of heart and decide to revive the Days Gone franchise after an incredibly high public demand. Initially, Bend Studio pitched a sequel but was ultimately shot down in favor of working on an ambitious multiplayer project. Rather than going back to finish what the team started, Sony bankrolled this new multiplayer project with a quarter of a billion dollars.
Jeff Ross co-directed the game with Garvin and is convinced that the dream for a sequel is dead from the start because Hermen Hulst and other major figures within Sony were never fans of the project. Despite the potential, Hulst and other company leaders are too afraid to risk tarnishing the reputation built by PlayStation in the past few years as they pursue the online multiplayer arena instead of supporting exclusives that earned a second chance.
Astro Bot Appreciates the Support It Is Receiving From Fellow PlayStation Studios Developers
The family-friendly nature of this project is appealing to a wider audience. Trusted gaming insider Jeff Grubb is convinced this project has a strong chance of being nominated for Game of the Year or outright winning it because of its fun gameplay.
This is the reception and support Garvin and Ross liked to see their game received years ago. Unfortunately, their creative vision was plagued by technical issues that took too long to polish and fans complained about the length of the campaign initially, especially with the poor performance.
Despite how things ended up for the game, Days Gone still holds up well and deserves the same respect as other successful PlayStation first-party franchises. Hopefully, Garvin will find the peace and closure he seeks to move on and continue creating great games taking this project as a charge to experience rather than holding it against the success of others.
Team ASOBI spent a few years with limited manpower and achieved something monumental. It would have been nice to see Days Gone be praised in the same way as Astro Bot.
What are your thoughts so far about Astro Bot? Let us know in the comments section below!
