Bend Studio Faces New Challenges as Former Days Gone Director Weighs In on Project Shutdown

John Garvin, the former director of Days Gone, has shared his perspective on the recent cancellation of Bend Studio’s live-service project. Despite leaving the studio in 2020, Garvin’s response demonstrates ongoing support for his former colleagues at the PlayStation first-party developer.

The cancellation comes as part of a broader PlayStation initiative that saw the termination of multiple live-service projects, including one from Bluepoint Games. For Bend Studio, this marks a significant shift since their last major release, Days Gone, in 2019. The studio had been developing a new IP that would incorporate Days Gone’s open-world systems alongside multiplayer elements.

Leaked UI concept art from December 2024 had suggested that Bend Studio was working on a live-service military shooter. With the project’s cancellation, Garvin took to social media to express solidarity with the development team, emphasizing that “this is a time for empathy,” regardless of personal views on live-service games or PlayStation’s strategic decisions.

In subsequent discussions, Garvin suggested that the development team had limited agency in the decision-making process, noting that while the PlayStation community might have reservations about live-service titles, the situation remains challenging for developers who “have no choice.” The cancellation appears to be a direct result of PlayStation’s recent first-party portfolio review.

PlayStation has confirmed they are collaborating with Bend Studio to determine their next project direction. With the company’s live-service initiatives facing recent setbacks, speculation has emerged about the studio potentially returning to single-player game development. However, given typical AAA development timelines, any new project announcement may not surface until well into the future PlayStation console generation.