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[FranXico]

Ryan obviously wanted Sony Bend to create an IP that has an impact like Tsushima, Spiderman or Horizon. They didn't succeed. Now they have to face the consequences.

Wow, Ryan is one tough boss, even has retroactive expectations. He expects things that were decided and happened before he started to succeed in the past.

 

[SJRB]

O my god, all the drama is killing me. Who is telling the truth? Who is telling the lies? Who cares?

The only way I see this coming to a close is a bareknuckle fight to the death between Jeff Ross and Jason Schreier.

It's the only way.

 

[sublimit]

It's more than clear Sony Bend is under a lot of pressure and is merely tolerated within the Playstation universe. Their last game has its fans, but wasn't well received among critics.

If Sony didn't greenlight Days Gone 2 or doesn't really want to invest in another IP, we'll know soon enough: Either the studio gets closed or people will leave (which already did happen).

Tweets like "I wish I could speak more freely" should tell you where this goes. Ryan obviously wanted Sony Bend to create an IP that has an impact like Tsushima, Spiderman or Horizon. They didn't succeed. Now they have to face the consequences.

You don't give the creative freedom of a new IP to a studio that is " merely tolerated". And if Jeff Ross is to be believed DG2 could still be in development.

Stop with this doom and gloom fanfiction.

 

[Chessmate]

Wow, Ryan is one tough boss, even has retroactive expectations. He expects things that were decided and happened before he started to succeed in the past.

Well, Days Gone did obviously fail in his eyes. It's obvious what's happening right now with Sony Bend. More people will leave, and the studio will eventually be shut down or renamed/reorganized, just like Japan Studio.

 

[xrnzaaas]

This basically doesn't change anything. Days Gone could've been cancelled or put on hold after Ross left or Schreier may be spreading bs rumors. We can only hope that Sony wants the sequel given that the first game was a financial success despite a rocky start.

 

[cragarmi]

I just wouldn't expect DG2 to be the NEXT game from Bend. Sometimes it's nice to give IPs breathing room, especially when you have 2 with similar settings/tropes.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

Jeff pretty much said his hands are tied unlike Jason, so he (Jeff) couldn't really say the real thing.

Don't worry though, PC players will make Day Gone a success for Sony to greenlight a Day Gone 2.

We're counting on you, even if you just do it for the sake of pissing off those pseudo critics who were racist against the protagonist.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

I just wouldn't expect DG2 to be the NEXT game from Bend. Sometimes it's nice to give IPs breathing room, especially when you have 2 with similar settings/tropes.

Yeah it's more like giving zombies a break with all the zombie BS games coming out lately. It's better to visit some old ideas that aren't trending and make them standout like Ghost of Tsushima, or completely new ideas like Horizon Zero Dawn.

Personally would love some titles to go open world, even if that will mean that they'll lose that tightness of linear games in terms of story-telling. Uncharted really needs that like exploring vast areas with great secrets and dungeons. More like a reboot for the IP as happened with GOW which is semi-open world.

 

[cormack12]

Given they said it's the largest 'project' I'm wondering if it's going to be a Syphon Filter collection remake.

 

[SSfox]

Well maybe Jason source was wrong then, or maybe Hermen Hulst shutted down the project, we'll find out sooner or later.

It's still sucks to know that ND are wasting their ressources on TLOU1 remake though, probably mainly for the sake their tv show, it's hard to believe ND was one of the best and one of my favorite game dev in ps123 era.

 

[bitbydeath]

Well maybe Jason source was wrong then, or maybe Hermen Hulst shutted down the project, we'll find out sooner or later.

It's still sucks to know that ND are wasting their ressources on TLOU1 remake though, probably mainly for the sake their tv show, it's hard to believe ND was one of the best and one of my favorite game dev in ps123 era.

Maybe the TLOU remake was wrong as well?
It doesn’t make sense unless they were planning on reimagining the characters to that of the TV show.

 

[SSfox]

Maybe the TLOU remake was wrong as well?
It doesn’t make sense unless they were planning on reimagining the characters to that of the TV show.

That would be great news, but it just does make a lot of sens to be honest, you have the TV show, and then also you have scenes in TLOU2 that are pretty much TLOU1 scenes with TLOU2 graphics, i wouldn't be surprise if those scenes were cut from the remake to be put in tlou2.

You also have the online mode of TLOU2 that still not available or reveal yet, and TLOU2 that didn't get ps5 patch upgrade, it kinda make more sens now why those didn't happen yet, and maybe they may be planning to release bundle with tlou1 remake+ tlou2 with patch upgrade + the online mode.

 

[bitbydeath]

That would be great news, but it just does make a lot of sens to be honest, you have the TV show, and then also you have scenes in TLOU2 that are pretty much TLOU1 scenes with TLOU2 graphics, i wouldn't be surprise if those scenes were cut from the remake to be put in tlou2.

You also have the online mode of TLOU2 that still not available or reveal yet, and TLOU2 that didn't get ps5 patch upgrade, it kinda make more sens now why those didn't happen yet, and maybe they may be planning to release bundle with tlou1 remake+ tlou2 with patch upgrade + the online mode.

Jasons report doesn’t mention it having anything to do with TLOU2 though. Remaking the whole lot would be a lot more enticing but by itself, TLOU1 still looks and plays fine as is.

Then we have the issue of how long it’s taking. Such a simple remake would be out already if they started in 2019. If they started on Days Gone 2 in 2019 then there’s a chance it’d come out next year and that’s a full blown new game.

 

[Grimchest]

It’s going to be hilarious listening to the wrong side on this topic.

 

[Papacheeks]

Jasons report doesn’t mention it having anything to do with TLOU2 though. Remaking the whole lot would be a lot more enticing but by itself, TLOU1 still looks and plays fine as is.

Then we have the issue of how long it’s taking. Such a simple remake would be out already if they started in 2019. If they started on Days Gone 2 in 2019 then there’s a chance it’d come out next year and that’s a full blown new game.

A remake? Dude please stop. You have no clue what it takes to make a game. Let alone using tools and software your studio has to learn. Remember they are remaking supposedly Last of us 1 in the Last of us 2 engine. Bend has been using Unreal 4 for the last 5-6 years if not longer. So you have to learn their animation tools, and get acclimated to what has been done or if the San Diego team had issues, maybe they have to redo what they did. Which means figuring out what needs to be fixed/completed/or restarted.

Bluepoint is super efficient, but it took them a couple years for Shadow of the Colossus, and Demons Souls. I mean it sounds like they are supporting the main team who is doing the remake which is Naughty Dog. So it depends on what they have them working on for that remake. Sounds like it might be the multiplayer portion.

But this whole, "it started in 2019 it must be close to done" is really dumb bullshit. We dont know the scope of work bend is handling, we dont know roughly where the remake is completion wise. It could come out this Christmas? But it all depends.

 

[lh032]

maybe on hold? i mean they can just continue anytime

 

[Clear]

The most probable thing is Bend getting seconded onto helping out ND while they had no project greenlit. But once they have new gig, they'd be back to business as usual.

If Bend was in trouble there'd have been layoffs. Instead they got staff put to work in a support capacity which I think is better for all concerned?

Of course Jason wouldn't highlight this obvious fucking point because it doesn't mesh with his muck-raking narrative.

 

[Papacheeks]

The most probable thing is Bend getting seconded onto helping out ND while they had no project greenlit. But once they have new gig, they'd be back to business as usual.

If Bend was in trouble there'd have been layoffs. Instead they got staff put to work in a support capacity which I think is better for all concerned?

Of course Jason wouldn't highlight this obvious fucking point because it doesn't mesh with his muck-raking narrative.

He also would not note, of reaching out to Jeff and ask if he was working on anything. And basically he's working for Netherrealm, and sounds like either a new IP or open world MK. Jaffe may have jokingly let that slip if he knew anything.

Jason's reporting is super sound, and for the most part very respectful. Where it's not like Jaffe said, was with outing certain projects. It's not a reporter's job to out a title if it's canned or in the works. Thats how this business works, people leak stuff, and reporters get that info and then decide how to use it.

Until the studio is ready to say something, it's not your place to leak that. Jason could have left that out. He could have just said part of Bend studio was helping Naughty Dog with remake. The way he worded made it sound like the entire studio was forced into being a support studio. Just because someone at naughty dog says something doesnt mean he/she knows everything that goes on in another studio in a another state. I have no clue what are other stations have cooking for projects, or how many people from that station are helping with it total.

All I would know would be specific people who would be my points of contact if I had questions or issues.

I think Jason needs to not try to make his pieces doom and gloom.

 

[Reindeer]

Yes my comparison works, Hennig was Directing Uncharted 4, her version got cancelled and taken over by new leadership.
Days Gone 2 was confirmed to still be in development by Jeff Ross, he and John Garvin were Directors and they didn't stay around to continue working on the game.
Bend haven't been relegated to a support studio, they're working on something bigger than Days Gone based on the above information, if Jeff's comments are true then Days Gone 2 is that game, under new leadership or it's a new IP.
Politics effects everything in office culture, I know because I've been a part of that junk and I can only imagine how bad being a creative environment, with different ideas being flung around every day could get.

BTW the ICE team are a part of Naughty Dog and they work on the tools for PlayStation's systems, they help every Studio out within Worldwide Studios.
Bend didn't get only one shot on a AAA project, they used to make a bunch of AAA titles, they had a break for quite a long time, made Days Gone and are now working on something which is bigger than that game, which is very comparable to Naughty Dog's situation, just like many Studios within Sony's family of devs.

The thing is you're assuming Jason's source was bang on, when they could very well not know the real details or more than a narrow vision of what their studio is working on, given Jeff Ross was one of the main Directors on Days Gone 2, based on his own comments this person clearly has no clue what is really going on at Bend.
Another thing to consider is that Jeff Ross and John Garvin could have things going on in their lives that effect their abilities to dedicate themselves to long term work schedules, anything could have happened, they could have pitched Days Gone 2, got it Green-Lit then due to personal reasons they could keep working at the Studio.
If the situation was that their ideas weren't liked by Herman Hulst and other higher ups, but they were really passionate about it maybe it was too painful to keep working at Bend.

Bend have worked hard on new IP ideas many times before Days Gone 1 got green-lit, like their Vita Projects, they've laid themselves out there many times to try and get games off of the ground and if Days Gone 2 wasn't working as is, then another team pitches ideas, which got green-lit that could be difficult for Directors of creative projects to take, but that doesn't mean they would or could get in the way if the other plan being put to work.
In that situation you take a step back, try to fit in lower down or you move on, it seems like Jeff Ross and John Garvin moved on.

Perhaps Jeff and John's situations were more amicable than Amy Hennig's, the comparison fits though, Amy left because she couldn't bring her vision to life, the same sounds true of Jeff Ross and John Garvin's vision for the game coming after Day Gone 1.

Dude, you're all over the place, you say Bend are working on something bigger than Days Gone 2 (unverified info you just made up) and also claim that they're working on Days Gone 2. Riiiight..... You're adding so much speculative detail that it's hard to take your posts as anything but made up fiction. At this point nobody knows for certain what's going on and we certainly don't need wild speculations and assumptions like this.

 

[FatKingBallman]

Dude, you're all over the place, you say Bend are working on something bigger than Days Gone 2 (unverified info you just made up) and also claim that they're working on Days Gone 2. Riiiight..... You're adding so much speculative detail that it's hard to take your posts as anything but made up fiction. At this point nobody knows for certain what's going on and we certainly don't need wild speculations and assumptions like this.

Actually :

 

[Spokker]

I got bored and dropped Days Gone, but a sequel is a no brainer. Even the negative reviews talk about the potential the game had, only to be bogged down by a crusty outer shell of crap. I'm not surprised that the game has fans that see its creamy, delicious core.

Sony would be wrong to dismiss the game because it wasn't a critical darling. As usual you have to look past the raw scores.

I'd say its definitely more worthwhile than remaking a PS3 game that doesn't need a remake yet. It cleans up nicely on PS4 anyway.

 

[yurinka]

Jeff Ross implied with a tweet towards Jason Sherierier that JS was able to speak much more freely than he was about the situation. I was watching the Jaffe stream where he said it, the tweet was after the stream.

Sure, Jeff Ross is under NDA so he can't leak or comment unnanounced games, something Jason does without getting consequences.

Exactly, Jason's source could be far away on the other side of the office or in another part of the building,

Maybe it's just the janitor

The point is that Jason doesn't have to lie, he believes his source enough, the source could believe that Days Gone 2 got cancelled, but that person may not have a clue what happened to the game, they just got second hand info or where removed from working on the game because their version sucked in Sony's eyes.
That source gave information for 2019, Jeff talks about Days Gone 2 still being in development when he left in 2020, so maybe the game went back into the incubation phase and logically it's going to take more time, so perhaps Jeff along with John because they wouldn't be needed for a while.

Jeff seems pretty happy with his time at the Studio, I don't think John Garvin has badmouthed Sony about leaving either, seems pretty happy from what I've read, unless I missed any comments John Garvin has given anywhere.
Jeff really didn't need to say anything, but he's refuted Jason's Source's statements, outright, being the game's Director he would know more.

There is another theory where both Jason and Jeff versions would match, if cronologically happened this:

-Bend has two big gamedev tracks: one plans to do DG2 in the next few years and the other one a new IP
-After DG1 two small teams work on preproduction and pitching these projects to the HQ
-Until they get approved, the majority of the people of these two Bends tracks help ND with some of their projects (like the multiplayer game and the next Uncharted) to don't be without working until these two pitches get greenlighted
-The first DG2 pitch isn't greenlighted, they continue reworking it trying to greenlight it later
-The new IP gets greenlighted, so that Bend track stops helping ND with the Uncharted game and moves to the new IP
-------------------------------------Jason's info gets until this point--------------------------------------------------------------
-2nd DG2 pitch gets approved, or already was approved but the project was put on hold until they complete all the work they had to do helping ND with the multiplayer game, or until they grew enough to have two complete tracks, or they are waiting for UE5 to be released and meanwhile they continue helping ND

I don't think heads of studio leaving means things are going well. In time we'll find out whether Days Gone exists and who was right.

There are almost 1700 people included in the Days Gone credits. I'm pretty sure they can continue doing a great job without a couple of studio heads. Remember Sony also had all these goty winners and goty nominated games in the recent years, plus several big seller games, and has gaming history record in revenue. So they have enough money to hire anyone if needed.

Jeff mentioned that, unlike Jason said in the article, he left due to personal reasons and debunked that his reasons for leaving were:
-The state of a project (as it would be the cancelation of DG2, he couldn't mention leaked/unannounced projects, or in the case they would have cancelled it, to confirm that DG2 was cancelled)
-His or Bend's their relationship with ND (mentioned ND and Bend had a great relationship and collaborations during decades, and mentioned to be a big fan of TLOU, TLOU2 and Druckmann)
-His or Bend's relationship with PlayStation Studios/SCEA/PlayStation bosses (had good words for Hermen Hulst, Jim Ryan, Yoshida, Shawn, Scott...), mentioned they always have been very supportive, patient and that they were ok with DG1 results

Jeff said he left because he's 50 years old and wants to release at least a couple of games before retiring, and because in addition to that, he personally feels more confortable to work with the workflow of smaller AA-sized project, because it's the one he's used to after using it during decades. He feels more comfortable in this size of games than in the workflow required for big AAA games.

He also mentioned that there are people in Bend perfectly capable to replace him.

True but not everything would be under NDA like his work experience and his personal feelings about the company. I'm pretty sure he would love to talk more about the games that they were working on but the NDA prevents him from doing that. However the NDA wouldn't force him to say only positive things when he left the company. He could certainly say he disliked the working conditions if it really bothered him that much.

Yep, NDA basically prevents you to reveal secret stuff like leaking or confirming the existence o unannounced games, or confirming a rumor that certain project has been cancelled, or other sensitive non-public data like how well did sell a game. So he didn't directly mentioned these things.

It he would have desired it, it would have been ok to respectfully mention he didn't agree with certain boss, or with the strategy of the company, or that didn't have good a relationship with ND or Druckmann. Jeff said he (and Bend) is happy with all these things. He didn't have to lie, so he has been honest.

 

[FatKingBallman]

Sure, Jeff Ross is under NDA so he can't leak or comment unnanounced games, something Jason does without getting consequences.

Yep, but dev also can say when development started on a new game or already annouced game, whatever. Since Jeff said that DG2 was in production before he left Bend ( 4 months ago), Jason said that's not true. LOL. Literally saying that game director of that game lied about that.

 

[Reindeer]

Actually :

This still doesn't prove what you said, that they're making both Days Gone 2 and another project bigger than it. Nice try though. And btw, Devs always refer to their next project as "most ambitious" and so on.

 

[bitbydeath]

A remake? Dude please stop. You have no clue what it takes to make a game. Let alone using tools and software your studio has to learn. Remember they are remaking supposedly Last of us 1 in the Last of us 2 engine. Bend has been using Unreal 4 for the last 5-6 years if not longer. So you have to learn their animation tools, and get acclimated to what has been done or if the San Diego team had issues, maybe they have to redo what they did. Which means figuring out what needs to be fixed/completed/or restarted.

Bluepoint is super efficient, but it took them a couple years for Shadow of the Colossus, and Demons Souls. I mean it sounds like they are supporting the main team who is doing the remake which is Naughty Dog. So it depends on what they have them working on for that remake. Sounds like it might be the multiplayer portion.

But this whole, "it started in 2019 it must be close to done" is really dumb bullshit. We dont know the scope of work bend is handling, we dont know roughly where the remake is completion wise. It could come out this Christmas? But it all depends.

The remake was a described as a cheap project, just TLOU1 with TLOU2 engine upgrades, nothing fancy. 4 years for Days Gone 2 would be plenty of time considering they wouldn’t be making anything from scratch.

 

[CamHostage]

Jason's reporting is super sound, and for the most part very respectful. Where it's not like Jaffe said, was with outing certain projects. It's not a reporter's job to out a title if it's canned or in the works. Thats how this business works, people leak stuff, and reporters get that info and then decide how to use it.

I'm on that side of the fence as well (though I don't really care to argue it with GAFers who don't share that opinion,) but I'm yes-and-no as far as if it's right that a reporter shouldn't out a title.

There is kind of a "Gentlemen's Agreement" in gaming press that, because games now take multiple years to make and because the audience is frustratingly fickle with news outside of the hype cycle and because corporations abuse their overlord privilege and punish the development studio if anything leaks, all of that has made the pre-announcement rumor/announcement leak less kosher. Of course there's another Assassin's Creed being made after whichever one is about to be announced, and there's another one in the early works after that too, but nobody's going to talk about those now because nobody involved can handle the real complications of game production. Can't handle it. One game at a time, and if somebody's going to talk about a game, there better be a trailer of it being played up real soon or else it's a mess for everybody.

So, me just typing that, I get it. It works better that way, for nearly everybody involved. But me accepting that this is a journalist's job, to not ask questions, to not plumb sources, to wait for the corporation to set the terms of the news cycle, that's a fucked-up circumstance.

These journos are out there still doing the work, (kind of; the business has shifted away from that kind of coverage anyway and is heavily weighed around post-release, so there's a reason why there are so few "sneak press fucks" digging into the dirt these days, besides that it's just hard,) but now they're doing it as prep work for after the announcement... that's actually kind of how it worked before, (and it's how things work often in other entertainment forms as well; you don't hear about embargoes in movie or music journalism because circumstances are different, but they've been there,) but now the timelines are so long and the corporations are so interested in their own "official press" being the voice of public opinion that we cannot get a "proper" news cycle anymore. It's either unverifiable leaks on Twitter or it's official product rollouts, with so little in between and so little informed, researched insight that when we get it that large percentages of people shit on reporting when somebody goes and does it.

(And while I'm not on the anti-Schreier side, I could criticize some of Schreier's approach, but it's less that I disagree with his methods and more that he's so in a vacuum that there's not a balance of reporting. He does the work, then everybody just quote-posts the juiciest bits, then something happens on Twitter or wherever that maybe-maybe-not contradicts it, and everybody rallies around that, and meanwhile nobody else can get inside again and get their own version of the story because the corporation has shut that shit down and the press can't afford to assign reporters to do a long-term dig that could get fewer hit anyway than the next quote-post of somebody else's work, and so fuckin' A, man...)

Personally, I agree with you, I would have preferred Jason not mention DGB 2 by name (and maybe even not mention Last of Us Remake?,) as specific game titles are sensational elements that drive gamers into a frenzy instead of rationally taking in the info presented. Then again, the canceled sequel and the remake-of-a-rerelease do add context and give a better idea of just what the enormous stakes are in this image of Sony being portrayed in the article, and I'm not sure how the article could stand without the names.

 

[yurinka]

Yep, but dev also can say when development started on a new game or already annouced game, whatever. Since Jeff said that DG2 was in production before he left Bend ( 4 months ago), Jason said that's not true. LOL. Literally saying that game director of that game lied about that.

Yes, I think they publicly announced while ago they were starting to work on Days Gone 2. So since it's public that they are working in the game, he can say they are working on it. But maybe he can't publicly announce (or to confirm) they did cancel it until if it's true, it goes publicly announced.

I think what happened is that maybe they started to work on DG2 pitch, it wasn't greenlighted and Sony asked to rework certain areas of it before greenlighting, or maybe greenlighted it but asked them to work before helping ND a bit before starting it. Then after some months they got the greenlight or completed their job helping ND and resumed their work on DG2.

Jason's source may be a purple haired whining millenial low tier blue collar worker who left Bend in 2019 so didn't know all the details, specially the recent ones. Maybe Jason posted what that source told him.

 

[FatKingBallman]

This still doesn't prove what you said, that they're making both Days Gone 2 and another project bigger than it. Nice try though. And btw, Devs always refer to their next project as "most ambitious" and so on.

Same as Naughty Dog or Sucker Punch, and actually TLOU 2 and Tsushima were the biggest project yet. There is literally no reason not to believe that next Bend's project is the biggest yet. Well, you tried.

 

[FatKingBallman]

But maybe he can't publicly announce (or to confirm) they did cancel it until if it's true, it goes publicly announced.

IMO, DG2 is put on hold for now because Jeff's words

I think what happened is that maybe they started to work on DG2 pitch, it wasn't greenlighted and Sony asked to rework certain areas of it before greenlighting, or maybe greenlighted it but asked them to work before helping ND a bit before starting it. Then after some months they got the greenlight or completed their job helping ND and resumed their work on DG2.

Jason's source may be a purple haired whining millenial low tier blue collar worker who left Bend in 2019 so didn't know all the details, specially the recent ones.

I also think there was some young dev which Jason called for interview to express his bitching.

 

[yurinka]

I also think there was some young dev which Jason called for interview to express his bitching.

I always thought most the sources for this kind of articles that reveal -real or not- shit about game studios are angry fired former low tier unexperienced employees who were fired after being all day whining, moaning and bitching in the studio while everyone else in the studio hates him and doesn't agree him.

Same as Naughty Dog or Sucker Punch, and actually TLOU 2 and Tsushima were the biggest project yet. There is literally no reason not to believe that next Bend's project is the biggest yet. Well, you tried.

Ryan also said they were going to continue growing most of their studios, so it would make sense to think their next game will be bigger than DG.

 

[A.Romero]

I'm surprised this is still a hot topic in GAF. Seriously, who the fuck cares? We are not talking about a super successful IP/Studio. Is fucking Days Gone, not God of War.

It doesn't matter who is saying the truth. Jason's profession is measured by the amount of clicks. Jeff can't talk freely.

Is Jim Ryan fucking shit up at Sony? Maybe. Is it the end of Playstation? Not likely. Do you remember how Sony royally fucked up PS3 at launch at the hands that created one of the most successful gaming brands in history and still came back before the end of the gen? Do you seriously think there is any opportunity Jim can fuck shit even worst than that and not be able to recover maybe next gen?

Also, do you really think Jim Ryan is as stupid as some people are trying portray him? This guy was responsible for Play Station in Europe, probably the place in the world where the brand is best positioned. He is not a rando picked up from the street.

So would we, armchair CEOs, make better decisions that a guy that has been working for Sony since 1994 and has access to the best available relevant info, advisors, consultants and, on top of everything, reports to even more experienced and knowledgeable seniors?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

As for a sequel, put it this way.

Out of all their big budget games that sell millions lately, how many of them got a sequel that had a metacritic rating of about 70?

 

[Reindeer]

Same as Naughty Dog or Sucker Punch, and actually TLOU 2 and Tsushima were the biggest project yet. There is literally no reason not to believe that next Bend's project is the biggest yet. Well, you tried.

Gotta give it to you, you have some imagination...

 

[FatKingBallman]

Gotta give it to you, you have some imagination...

Whatever, man.

 

[MrSec84]

Dude, you're all over the place, you say Bend are working on something bigger than Days Gone 2 (unverified info you just made up) and also claim that they're working on Days Gone 2. Riiiight..... You're adding so much speculative detail that it's hard to take your posts as anything but made up fiction. At this point nobody knows for certain what's going on and we certainly don't need wild speculations and assumptions like this.

I'm not all over the place at all, the rumours are!
I didn't say Bend were making something bigger than Days Gone 2, I said that someone at Bend said they're working on something bigger than Days Gone, as Days Gone 1, not 2, you should read a person's post properly and comprehend the parts you're going to reply about before replying to them.

Secondly I never claimed to be an insider, I don't work in the Video Game Production Industry, I was actually referencing what Jeff Ross said and what Jason said, trying to explain how one person in an office environment (which I have experience with) could think a project was cancelled, when in actuality the project was in development somewhere else in that office.

People said that Jeff Ross confirmed Days Gone 2 was still in production when he left Bend, which was in 2020, Jason Schreier's source claimed that Days Gone 2 was pitched and cancelled back in 2019.
There is no need to pounce on a person simply discussing a topic on a forum, that's the point of this place.

The whole point of my posts was to try and reconcile how Jeff Ross can say one thing and Jason Schreier could have a verified source that said something else is true, Bend could be working on anything for PlayStation, it's perfectly possible that Days Gone 2 could be getting incubated by one team, while another is making either a new IP or a game from some other PlayStation franchise.

Speculation is all people that don't work in the industry can do, I have an interest in the video games industry, just like everyone else here, I have never claimed to be an insider or work in the industry, so you don't need to twist my words to keep some stupid argument going.

 

[Kerotan]

See, I don’t think this means the article is perfect. Jeff is being polite first of all, but also, he doesn’t want to question the credibility of Jason. Jeff could mean “I’m sure that Jason is being honest in reporting everything that his sources told him”, but that doesn’t mean his sources are correct in what they said. I mean, Jeff literally contradicted several things during the stream.

I’m sure Jeff wants to be extremely careful to be neutral (with the Sony NDA) and not confirm nor deny anything that might get him in trouble, so he’s not going to directly go against Jason.

That was my take as well. Would be funny if the Bend employees gave Jason false info to make him look like the tool he is. And when his article came out they were all laughing and high fiving over a few beers.

 

[Nyxir]

Honest question. Whats up with the Jason hate around here?
Also the developer is under NDA and don’t want to ruin his career. He basically can’t say shit.

 

[bitbydeath]

I'm surprised this is still a hot topic in GAF. Seriously, who the fuck cares? We are not talking about a super successful IP/Studio. Is fucking Days Gone, not God of War.

It doesn't matter who is saying the truth. Jason's profession is measured by the amount of clicks. Jeff can't talk freely.

Is Jim Ryan fucking shit up at Sony? Maybe. Is it the end of Playstation? Not likely. Do you remember how Sony royally fucked up PS3 at launch at the hands that created one of the most successful gaming brands in history and still came back before the end of the gen? Do you seriously think there is any opportunity Jim can fuck shit even worst than that and not be able to recover maybe next gen?

Also, do you really think Jim Ryan is as stupid as some people are trying portray him? This guy was responsible for Play Station in Europe, probably the place in the world where the brand is best positioned. He is not a rando picked up from the street.

So would we, armchair CEOs, make better decisions that a guy that has been working for Sony since 1994 and has access to the best available relevant info, advisors, consultants and, on top of everything, reports to even more experienced and knowledgeable seniors?

Days Gone was massively successful, sure it didn’t sell God of War numbers (few does) but it still sold more than a lot of other IP’s. Including all of Bends other titles combined.

 

[CamHostage]

That was my take as well. Would be funny if the Bend employees gave Jason false info to make him look like the tool he is. And when his article came out they were all laughing and high fiving over a few beers.

What color is the sky in this other reality where any of this is a win for any Sony employee, and that employed adults are saying to each other (while still sober,) "Hey Bob, have you got the Sneak Press Fuck's phone number, I thought up a great joke..."

 

[Kumomeme]

either way we just gonna prove jim ryan wrong by make sure pc version sell well.

 

[TheMay30thMan]

Anything could have happened to Days Gone 2 between his departure and now. If Bend is still working on the game, it doesn't necessarily mean that Jason is a liar. It just proves that time and time again, Jason continues to put no effort into finding valid sources for his stories. He would rather find one or two people that fit his agenda and take their comments anonymously. Remains to be seen. Sony will need to make an announcement on the status of the Days Gone IP.

 

[AdjudicatorHead]

Honest question. Whats up with the Jason hate around here?
Also the developer is under NDA and don’t want to ruin his career. He basically can’t say shit.

He’s got his head stuck so far up his own ass that he sees the world from behind his own teeth.

Any hint of criticism sends him into defensive overdrive and he’ll start lobbing the console warrior, fanboy etc excuses back and block you on Twitter. He’s an insufferable man child who can’t stand anyone having a differing opinion to him.

 

[A.Romero]

Days Gone was massively successful, sure it didn’t sell God of War numbers (few does) but it still sold more than a lot of other IP’s. Including all of Bends other titles combined.

It may have but either it wasn't enough or Days Gone 2 will be made.

These guys have proven over decades that know how to make money and have made decisions that have mostly turned to be right. Let's say that Days Gone costed 10 million to make and turned out 1 million profit (10%) but another game costed 50 million and turned 10 million (20%). Why on earth would they again make an investment that only returned 10%? Or maybe it returned enough money but they are projecting putting those teams and that amount of money can return more through another project. It doesn't make sense to keep investing in the same brand.

I really believe these guys have better elements to understand the decisions they are making. I don't think anyone would sacrifice a huge profit just because they don't like Jeff Ross or zombies or the Days Gone IP. If they decided to can it, is because of a good reason.

Saying it is the most successful game Bend Studios has ever produced is not saying much. I mean, I liked Syphon Filter but there is a reason they have long dropped that IP. Their Vita games couldn't have sold much (as Vita titles in general).

Days Gone is the first time Bend Studios make a non portable game since Playstation 2. There have been several people involved in those decisions over almost a decade and a half, not something related to Sony's current leadership. If Sony is putting Bend Studios down it has been happening for a long time now. Could it be that Sony sees Bend Studios as a B tier development studio or a studio focused on B productions? It very well could be. However, I personally think that if they do it's because there is a reason behind that. It could be that they just need that position to be filled (and someone has to do it) or because they have elements to believe Bend Studios is better off making those kinds of games because they lack the talent for more.

 

[Varteras]

As for a sequel, put it this way.

Out of all their big budget games that sell millions lately, how many of them got a sequel that had a metacritic rating of about 70?

You're not wrong. At the same time if it really did sell THAT well, which even Jeff made the comment he's not sure why Sony doesn't want people to know how well it sold, and the community engagement is there and even people who were initially hard on it had a change of heart... well... that could be reason enough for Sony to consider a sequel. Even if not right now.

Unfortunately there just isn't enough clarity here. There is a clear conflict between what Jason's sources told him about Bend and what Jeff says about the situation. He claims the game was being worked on in 2020 while Jason pretty much called him a liar and said the game was definitely turned down by Sony in 2019. What reason does Jeff have to lie about a project and a company he's no longer attached to? He also made it clear that whatever comments were made in the office about Bend being Naughty Dog's bitch were not accurate to the actual situation. Bend simply had a lot of free hands for a time so they set to work helping Naughty Dog with some projects they had.

Some things we have to remember about Jason is that he never divulges how many sources he had. He never talks about contrary remarks by other sources. He never tells us just how likely it is that these sources would be in the position to know things for sure and not just office gossip. His stories always spin the tale EXACTLY as he wants it to be presented. He makes it sound like everyone he talked to would have concrete information that cannot be doubted and they all said the same thing. The very thing he wants you to take away from his story.

Let's not forget that he's the same guy who has had a hard-on towards Sony, more specifically Naughty Dog, for supposed bad working conditions. Namely the "Crunch". He even got shitty with Druckmann over it and Barlog had to step in and more or less tell him to chill out. What is a repeating beat in his article? Yep. Naughty Dog. He wants the reader to feel like Naughty Dog is at the center of things being ruined. Days Gone 2 supposedly shot down and Bend forced to work on Naughty Dog's projects while being treated like a slave to them. VASG being denied their own freedom on a remake of The Last of Us and instead forced to give up their dreams and be relegated to supporting Naughty Dog. The moment anyone who would know better says otherwise he calls them a liar and claims the decisions were over their head so they wouldn't know any better. Then proceeds to spit on people for calling out the clear discrepancies.

 

[A.Romero]

You're not wrong. At the same time if it really did sell THAT well, which even Jeff made the comment he's not sure why Sony doesn't want people to know how well it sold, and the community engagement is there and even people who were initially hard on it had a change of heart... well... that could be reason enough for Sony to consider a sequel. Even if not right now.

Unfortunately there just isn't enough clarity here. There is a clear conflict between what Jason's sources told him about Bend and what Jeff says about the situation. He claims the game was being worked on in 2020 while Jason pretty much called him a liar and said the game was definitely turned down by Sony in 2019. What reason does Jeff have to lie about a project and a company he's no longer attached to? He also made it clear that whatever comments were made in the office about Bend being Naughty Dog's bitch were not accurate to the actual situation. Bend simply had a lot of free hands for a time so they set to work helping Naughty Dog with some projects they had.

Some things we have to remember about Jason is that he never divulges how many sources he had. He never talks about contrary remarks by other sources. He never tells us just how likely it is that these sources would be in the position to know things for sure and not just office gossip. His stories always spin the tale EXACTLY as he wants it to be presented. He makes it sound like everyone he talked to would have concrete information that cannot be doubted and they all said the same thing. The very thing he wants you to take away from his story.

Let's not forget that he's the same guy who has had a hard-on towards Sony, more specifically Naughty Dog, for supposed bad working conditions. Namely the "Crunch". He even got shitty with Druckmann over it and Barlog had to step in and more or less tell him to chill out. What is a repeating beat in his article? Yep. Naughty Dog. He wants the reader to feel like Naughty Dog is at the center of things being ruined. Days Gone 2 supposedly shot down and Bend forced to work on Naughty Dog's projects while being treated like a slave to them. VASG being denied their own freedom on a remake of The Last of Us and instead forced to give up their dreams and be relegated to supporting Naughty Dog. The moment anyone who would know better says otherwise he calls them a liar and claims the decisions were over their head so they wouldn't know any better. Then proceeds to spit on people for calling out the clear discrepancies.

Jason's reporting could be inaccurate at best. However, I dare question what is the problem for Sony to decide to use their own resources to support other more successful studios? Regarding TLoU remake, what if Sony didn't like what they did and decided not to tarnish an already controversial brand? I mean, in any other company if a team is requested to work on a project they do because that's their job not producing whatever they think would be cool regardless of the quality or the potential economic returns. I don't understand why people expect the gaming industry to be different.

Microsoft has done it, Nintendo has done it, Sony has done it... I really doubt that it's just because whatever roles are involved in those decisions don't know what they are doing.

 

[Reindeer]

.

 

[Reindeer]

I'm not all over the place at all, the rumours are!
I didn't say Bend were making something bigger than Days Gone 2, I said that someone at Bend said they're working on something bigger than Days Gone, as Days Gone 1, not 2, you should read a person's post properly and comprehend the parts you're going to reply about before replying to them.

Secondly I never claimed to be an insider, I don't work in the Video Game Production Industry, I was actually referencing what Jeff Ross said and what Jason said, trying to explain how one person in an office environment (which I have experience with) could think a project was cancelled, when in actuality the project was in development somewhere else in that office.

People said that Jeff Ross confirmed Days Gone 2 was still in production when he left Bend, which was in 2020, Jason Schreier's source claimed that Days Gone 2 was pitched and cancelled back in 2019.
There is no need to pounce on a person simply discussing a topic on a forum, that's the point of this place.

The whole point of my posts was to try and reconcile how Jeff Ross can say one thing and Jason Schreier could have a verified source that said something else is true, Bend could be working on anything for PlayStation, it's perfectly possible that Days Gone 2 could be getting incubated by one team, while another is making either a new IP or a game from some other PlayStation franchise.

Speculation is all people that don't work in the industry can do, I have an interest in the video games industry, just like everyone else here, I have never claimed to be an insider or work in the industry, so you don't need to twist my words to keep some stupid argument going.

I didn't twist anything, I simply pointed out your wild speculations and claims that have zero evidence backing them up. I get that everyone is trying to paint their own narrative, but lets at least stick to facts.

 

[Papacheeks]

Days Gone was massively successful, sure it didn’t sell God of War numbers (few does) but it still sold more than a lot of other IP’s. Including all of Bends other titles combined.

5.5 million is not massively successful. And it had a long dev cycle, plus a lot of technical issues.

Days gone 2 at this point in time is off the books for now. New IP, and helping out with factions.

 

[ArtHands]

Honest question. Whats up with the Jason hate around here?
Also the developer is under NDA and don’t want to ruin his career. He basically can’t say shit.

He broke a lot of negative Sony stories like Naughty Dog crunch and confirming Horizon Zero Dawn coming to PC

 

[bitbydeath]

5.5 million is not massively successful. And it had a long dev cycle, plus a lot of technical issues.

Days gone 2 at this point in time is off the books for now. New IP, and helping out with factions.

What about 8-10M+ would you consider that successful?