Bend Studios' Jeff Ross has revealed a co-op mode that was pitched for a Days Gone sequel before PlayStation reportedly rejected the game's development. While it seems that Days Gone 2 may never come to fruition (at least not anytime soon), that doesn't mean that Bend Studios didn't have clear ideas about where it wanted to take the zombie adventure game in the next entry.
Just days before the bad Days Gone news broke, a Bloomberg report exposed PlayStation's internal struggles with some of its first-party studios, including Days Gone developer Bend Studios. The report alleged that Days Gone 2 was pitched to Sony before being ultimately rejected due to the first game's tumultuous production, mixed critical reception, and other factors. Bend Studios reportedly went on to assist Naughty Dog on a variety of projects, including the next Uncharted, before the studio apparently withdrew to work on its own in-development title. Despite not selling or being reviewed as well other PlayStation first-party exclusives like Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone does have its fans, so the report has led to some online frustration with SIE in recent days.
Days Gone director Jeff Ross, who no longer works at Bend, spoke to God of War creator David Jaffe about a sequel on Sunday. Ross wouldn't confirm or deny a sequel, but told fans to "never say never" about Days Gone 2. Fielding questions about whether a co-op was ever considered for the would-be franchise, Ross noted that it was part of Bend's pitch for a sequel. The co-op component would have seen players building up something akin to their own "clubhouse or a crew" in the zombie apocalypse, with Ross musing, " I think it would be fun to be in that world cooperatively and see what horde battles could be like."
Although Ross wouldn't confirm that a Days Gone 2 solidly is or isn't happening, the report makes it seem that the it's likely the latter case. Perhaps the upcoming PC port of Days Gone will be able to help sway PlayStation's mind if successful enough, but it will almost certainly be a while until Bend can indicate what Days Gone's future is either way.
Even though the first entry was a mixed bag with critics, it seems odd that Sony is alleged to be so willing to abandon something that wasn't a commercial failure after sinking money and time into it. While the final results arguably could've been better, Days Gone 2 seemed to many in the industry as a foregone conclusion given the first game's decent sales and generally positive player reception. It may ultimately be those players that change SIE's tune, but Days Gone's fate may hang in the balance until the publisher potentially reevaluates its decision.
Source: David Jaffe