Days Gone Studio's New Game Will Explore Another Open World
Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios, has teased that Bend Studio's next game will build upon the "open-world systems" developed for Days Gone. Reports from earlier this spring claimed Bend Studio began work on a new IP fairly recently, after allegedly spending more than a year on an Uncharted project under Naughty Dog's supervision.
With the rumored Uncharted adventure no longer under its care, there's no telling where exactly Bend's talents will take it next. To the dismay of many a fan, however, a Days Gone sequel is most certainly not on the cards for the time being. Those who enjoyed the Pacific Northwest-set adventure refuse to give up hope, though. Following news that Sony rejected Bend's original Days Gone 2 pitch, fans opened a petition on Change.org in hopes of encouraging the publisher to reconsider. In roughly one month, the Days Gone petition accumulated over 100,000 signatures. The game's committed player base and early success on PC indicate interest in the IP won't soon wither away. But, for now at least, Bend's focus rests elsewhere.
During an interview on the Official PlayStation Podcast (via PlayStation Blog), Hermen Hulst spoke about future plans for the brand. First-party studios, second-party partnerships, and PC releases all received their time in the limelight. Interestingly, Bend Studio came up, too, with Hulst saying the developers remain hard at work on a new property they're "very, very passionate about." The PlayStation Studios boss didn't divulge too much, of course, but teased the project as one that builds on the "deep open-world systems" developed by the crew for Days Gone. "I'm really happy for Bend Studio," Hulst added.
This unspecified original property represents the third time Bend has explored a new IP of its own. Syphon Filter constitutes the first of such endeavors, with its franchise spanning half a dozen games across three systems. Between the stealth series' final entry and the release of Bend's second IP, Days Gone, the studio had its hands full with other PlayStation-owned brands, namely Resistance and Uncharted.
With all of the above in mind, it'll be interesting to see what the Oregon-based firm pursues next. And who's to say the next project won't see Bend once more revisit the mysteries of a biological weapon, especially when considering the brilliantly-crafted Syphon Filter and Days Gone connection.
Days Gone is available to play now across on PC PS4, and PS5 platforms.
Source: Official PlayStation Podcast via PlayStation Blog