This past week a conversation has taken place online regarding the PlayStation game Days Gone. It started with a report that developer Bend Studio had pitched Days Gone 2 and that it was rejected. After the news broke, Days Gone co-director Jeff Ross thanked Days Gone fans for support, but couldn't confirm the news. Now, Days Gone's other game director, John Garvin, has offered his thoughts on the matter, triggering a controversy that's gone viral on social media.
Garvin's controversial comment started by telling video game players that, "If you love a game, buy it at f****** full price." He'd go on to add that game players shouldn't, "complain if a game doesn't get a sequel if it wasn't supported at launch." Garvin would go on to criticize piracy, as well. And while he didn't explicitly refer to Days Gone's reportedly canceled sequel, it was clearly apparent what he was referring to with his comments.
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As would be expected, Garvin's comments went viral on social media. Over 17,000 tweets including the Days Gone title have been shared over the past day. The vast majority of responses have to do with Garvin's insinuation that game players should buy games at full price, as well as his seeming contradiction that people should buy great games before they know if they're great. However, there are some posts that sympathize with what he's saying, particularly among fans of Days Gone who are frustrated that it won't have a sequel.
Garvin himself would go on to respond to the viral conversation about his words. He'd clarify that what he was trying to say is that, "If a game doesn't make money, it's probably not going to get a sequel." He also added that he wasn't talking about Days Gone, though the subject matter of his quotes does seem rather topical given his position as co-director of Days Gone and the past week's discussion of Days Gone 2's cancellation.
Obviously, there are many factors that go into whether a game is successful or not at launch. Not to mention every publisher has different priorities when it comes to what is successful, and Sony is no different in that regard. While sales clearly influenced Days Gone's success, there were likely many other factors, including early review scores and frustrated early adopters due to technical issues.
While Days Gone absolutely has its fans who are unhappy about the lack of a sequel, there's still an upside to look forward to. Bend Studio is still making games. It likely hard at work on something new and exciting right now. Garvin, however, won't be a part of it. Both of Days Gone's co-directors are no longer with the company.
Days Gone is available now on PS4 and is coming to PC on May 18.