Days Gone was a title that released to some above average reviews but later garnered a larger passionate fanbase. With news that the title would not be getting a sequel despite its success warranting one fans of Bend Studios wondered what the developer would be working on next. In a recent Twitter exchange while being asked any updates on what the studio may be working on, they simple replied with “We are cooking”. This paired alongside a PlayStation blog post back in June announcing Bend Studios emerging into a rebrand as well as announcing that their next IP would be a multiplayer title, all this has fans speculating that this might be the game Bend Studios is referring to on Twitter.
This news comes at a good time for PlayStation as it has been garnering criticism for its lack of first-party releases on its newest generation, the PlayStation 5. As of now Sony does not have a big holiday 2024 title announced and that is very worrying for many as the last two years have had huge holiday releases in God Of War Ragnarok, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. It’s unlikely that this multiplayer title will be filling in that holiday slot for this year, but it will alleviate the criticism for PlayStation’s games library. It’s still baffling that Sony hasn’t pushed for a sequel to Days Gone as the initial title was a surprise late success for the company, its also a very story-focused game, Sony’s bread and butter. Add to the confusion the massive cliffhanger at the end of Days Gone, it’s highly unlikely that the series never gets another entry.
Bend Studios’ multiplayer title might also be one of the only ones still in development for Sony as they have recently cut back and flat-out canceled their plans for more live service games in the future. The market is currently flooded with live service games and it would make the most sense to stick to what Sony and PlayStation do best, that is sticking to creating deeply rich stories in their single-player games.