Jeff Ross, director of Days Gone, has revealed that one of the biggest inspirations behind the game was DayZ and its sometimes toxic playerbase. Days Gone is a zombie-fuelled post-apocalyptic open-world game in which humans can often be as dangerous as the undead, a theme that is explored throughout its story.
Days Gone saw mixed success when it released in 2019, which has seemingly played a role in the franchise's continuation. It was reported last year that Sony rejected a Days Gone 2, much to the disappointment of the game's many players. Despite a popular fan petition amassing thousands of signatures, it seems a sequel is currently off the cards, though that hasn't stopped interest in the canceled project. Ross recently shared some ideas that he would have liked to implement in another Days Gone, with his vision for Days Gone 2 including swimming, a deeper narrative with Sarah and Deacon, and more. It's clear there was a lot of ambition for Days Gone as a franchise and Bend was seemingly taking inspiration for the series wherever it could.
In an interview with ForTheWin, the same interview in which Jeff Ross shared his vision for a Days Gone sequel, the developer spoke about how much of an impact DayZ had on the game. Ross noted how DayZ players were at one point known for roleplaying dark apocalyptic fantasies, often using this to ruin another player's experience and creating a toxic environment for those looking to avoid griefers and enjoy the game as intended. This became the seed for the world of Days Gone, influencing the title's approach to human confrontation. Ross told the publication:
"It was brutal. That’s what the players were bringing to that fantasy. I thought that’s what we needed to capture: humans being terrible to humans. To me, that’s the apocalypse. It’s not just the zombies. We’re caged animals."
Taking inspiration from DayZ's often toxic players proved pretty effective for Bend, as the human enemies in Days Gone are unpredictable, and can be extremely threatening to any outsiders, perhaps even more so than the game's zombie-type Freakers. Ross previously stated that he wanted to have better AI for enemies in the sequel, allowing for more complex behavior, and it seems like Bend had only scratched the surface of this concept.
It's rather interesting that Bend Studio developers looked at how humans really behave in games to try and figure out how humans would act in a real apocalypse similar to Days Gone. Ross' comments show how the toxicity of players in DayZ impacted some of the key themes and concepts of Days Gone, serving as a proving ground for just how monstrous human beings can be in desperate times. Given Days Gone deals with humans at their worst, it's arguably fitting that the team looked at toxicity in online video games.
Source: ForTheWin