Days Gone maker Bend Studio has been hit by layoffs. Roughly a 3rd of the first-party PlayStation workforce was reportedly minimize following the latest cancelation of an unannounced dwell service venture.
About 40 builders on the Oregon-based studio have been laid off, Bloomberg experiences. The venture they had been beforehand engaged on was canceled earlier this yr amid a purge of some inner dwell service tasks, together with a web based God of Warfare spin-off at Bluepoint Video games. The workforce is now engaged on one thing new, in keeping with Bloomberg, although no matter it’s seemingly gained’t see the sunshine of day anytime quickly.
“Bend Studio laid off a bunch of individuals right this moment,” senior animator Robert Morrison posted on X. “I used to be part of the layoffs. I did my greatest. Hopefully I can discover a new workforce to hitch.” Sony didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Greatest identified for the Syphon Filter espionage video games within the PS1 and PS2 eras, Bend Studio later moved on to creating handheld ports of first-party franchises like Resistance and Uncharted earlier than finally making 2019’s open world zombie blockbuster Days Gone. The sport didn’t assessment as extremely as some PlayStation exclusives however nonetheless offered nicely.
Whereas followers pined for a sequel, the studio hasn’t launched a recreation since. Days Gone obtained a PS5 model earlier this yr however has in any other case laid dormant as Bend Studio reportedly labored on a brand new dwell service IP. Leaked photos made it seem just like the now canceled recreation was a web based multiplayer loot shooter of kinds, although no official particulars in regards to the venture had been ever shared publicly.
The Bend Studio cuts are the most recent self-inflicted wound of a PS5 era dwell service pivot that’s left Sony conspicuously brief on massive first-party blockbusters. Dwell service spin-offs of Twisted Steel and The Final of Us had been additionally canceled, whereas Harmony’s launch went so poorly the corporate refunded the sport and shutdown the studio behind it which had acquired only a couple years prior.
One other upcoming on-line shooter, Fairgame$, was just lately delayed in keeping with Bloomberg after it obtained unfavourable suggestions from exterior testing. That studio’s head, Jade Raymond, departed across the similar time.
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