Days Gone studio celebrates its cameo in “masterpiece” platformer Astro Bot, but one former developer says it’s a sad “way to protect your legacy”
Sep. 9, 2024Call it a draw, then?
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One of the many PlayStation games to cameo in the hot new platformer on the block Astro Bot is Days Gone, though how neat that is seemingly differs depending on which of the game’s developers you ask.
“Astro Bot is a masterpiece!“saysBend Studio community manager Kevin McAllister. “Such a well-designed, creative, and polished experience that brings me so much joy. Thank you again, Team Asobi, for including Days Gone into your wonderful game. Our team is incredibly honored. Please go play it and say hi to Deacon for me.”
McAllister’s sentiment echos that of theofficial Bend Studio account, though not so much Days Gone’s now departed director and writer John Garvin.
“Kinda sad that Deek has been reduced to promoting other games … well done Bend Studio! Way to protect your legacy!” hesaysbefore a back-and-forth with several fans, including thefollowing responseto one telling him to calm down: “I see my character reduced to a cartoon schill promoting some small game and I’m being harsh? Sit down, my brotha, adults are talking.”
Garvin initially left Bend Studiosometime after Days Gone’s release, eventually announcing as much on Twitter over a year later. Since then, Garvin and the studio have appeared at odds here and there. On one occasion, Garvin put the post-apocalyptic game’spoor receptionon bugs, critics who didn’t play the game, and the “woke reviewers” who did, promptingthe studio to release a statementdistancing itself from the view.
As for Days Gone 2, that doesn’t look like happening anytime soon. While game director andfellow Bend Studio alumni Jeff Ross has teased what could have been, thestudio maintains that it’s working on something newand that it’s “not fair to fans” to be “continuously getting fed false hope and poor information.”
We’re not stopping there, either. Team Asobi is following up a strong launch with freeAstro Bot DLCteases, including more VIP bots to rescue and speedrun levels.
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Iain joins the GamesRadar team as Deputy News Editor following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When not helping Ali run the news team, he can be found digging into communities for stories – the sillier the better. When he isn’t pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new hat, you’ll find him amassing an army of Pokemon plushies.
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