John Garvin Blamed Bend Studio for Not Protecting Their "Legacy"

The family-friendly platformer Astro Bot, developed by Sony’s first-party studio Team Asobi, was launched last Friday and it has received universal acclaim. As a game released in celebration of PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, more than 150 “iconic PlayStation heroes” have joined hands to bring fun and surprises to players. 

Many studios have sent best wishes to Team Asobi for their launch of the Astro Bot. Bend Studio is among them, having presented their wish via a post that includes a picture showing Deacon Lee Saint John, the protagonist of their 2019 zombie survival game Days Gone, who is also referred to as Deek, sitting on a beach under a tree with his back towards the camera, watching the bots playing.

However, this post has become a painful reminder for John Garvin, the creative director of Days Gone. He expressed the pity to see Deek being "reduced to promoting other games" and blamed the studio for not "protecting" their "legacy."

Despite John Garvin's emotionally charged comment of "well done," which was likely meant sarcastically, this lovely picture was liked by many. Fans have taken this opportunity to call for a sequel to Days Gone, which had sold around 9 million copies by January 2022.

Unfortunately, a sequel is probably not going to happen, according to Jeff Ross, the former game director for Days Gone, because “Sony higher ups like Hermen were never fans.” Bend Studio is working on a new AAA live-service title, the details of which have not yet been unveiled. 

Don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Reddit, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.