Summary
Bend Studio’s new IP is a live-service game, according to some newly emerged evidence. The Sony subsidiary hence appears poised to join its parent’s ongoing live-service foray, which is bound to putBend Studiowell outside its comfort zone.
The Oregon-based company’s latest game wasDays Gone, which reached the PS4 in April 2019 before making its way to PC two years later.Bend Studio subsequently confirmed it’s working on a new IP, but the group has yet to share any concrete information about that project.
Even so, the company has now offered some indirect hints about the nature of its upcoming title; according to a recently surfaced Bend Studio job ad reviewed by Game Rant, the developer’s new IP is a live-service game. The listing, which advertises an opening for a lead project manager, explicitly mentions live-service games thrice, both in the context of the eventual hire’s everyday responsibilities and the ideal candidate’s required and preferable experience.
Bend Studio hence seems to be part of Sony’s live-service foray that the Japanese gaming giant originally announced in early 2022. Back then, the company said that it was looking to put out a dozen such titles by March 2026, which corresponds to the end of its fiscal year 2025. Buthalf of those PlayStation live-service games were delayedby late 2023, with Sony Group COO Hiroki Totoki citing quality concerns as the reason for the postponement. The majority of those upcoming titles have yet to be announced. The original dozen comprised the recently releasedHelldivers 2, the canceledThe Last of Usmultiplayer game, and Bungie’s upcomingMarathonreboot.South Korean studio NCSoft is also rumored to be working on aHorizonMMO.
Bend Studio Pitched at Least 2 Other Games Before Its Live-Service Project
Prior to tackling its current project, Bend Studiopitched aDays Gonesequel and an open-worldResistancegameto Sony, as previously revealed by one of its senior staffers. Both ideas were rejected. This was around the time when the company was working on the PC port ofDays Gone, which it had decided to handle internally. From a quality perspective, that particular move paid off, withDays Gonestill being widely touted as one of the best PC ports that a Sony studio has delivered to date. The upcoming live-service game was possibly already in pre-production by the timeDays Gonereached PC. This newly emerged job listing suggests that it still is, which would make it unlikely to hit the market in the foreseeable future.
How Bend Studio fares in the live-service segment remains to be seen. Sony’s attempts to create long-tail revenue streams by doubling down on the games as a service (GaaS) model have so far stirred some unrest across its vast family of subsidiaries. Naughty Dog has essentially gone through an entire console generation without producing an original game due to its focus onThe Last of Usmultiplayer game that ultimately ended up getting canceledafter the developer concluded it cannot commit to long-term content support. Sony Interactive Entertainment Head of Internal Production Connie Booth is also said to have left the company in late 2023 over disagreements about the conglomerate’s live-service strategy.
Days Gone
WHERE TO PLAY
Days Gone is an open-world action-adventure game set in a harsh wilderness two years after a devastating global pandemic. Play as Deacon St. John, a drifter and bounty hunter who rides the broken road, fighting to survive while searching for a reason to live.Harsh Open World: Using the power of PlayStation 4 and Unreal Engine 4, Days Gone offers an incredibly realistic and detailed open-world experience. Immerse yourself in vast and hostile environments, and explore their secrets. Search abandoned vehicles, houses, truck stops and towns as you scavenge for resources. But be careful— day and night cycles, along with dynamic weather systems, all affect gameplay and enemy behavior.Brutal Sandbox Combat: Perfect your gameplay with an endless combination of strategy and play in every situation. Craft customized items using pieces and parts found in the field, from brutal melee weapons to traps and more. Act wisely, as every choice can be the difference between life and death.
