Days Gone maker Bend Studio has been hit by layoffs. Roughly a third of the first-party PlayStation team was cut following the recent cancelation of an unannounced live service project, but Sony confirmed the studio is working on a new project now and it remains “confident in its future and creative direction.”
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“Earlier this year, Bend Studio wrapped development on a live service concept. After careful consideration, we chose not to move forward with it,” a spokesperson for Sony confirmed to Kotaku in an email. “As the team shifts focus to its next project, we’ve made strategic changes to better position the studio for long-term success. As part of this transition, a workforce reduction has taken place at the studio. This decision was not made lightly, and we are extremely grateful for the meaningful contributions of all those impacted. Bend Studio has been a valued part of PlayStation Studios for decades, and we remain confident in its future and creative direction.”
About 40 developers at the Oregon-based studio were laid today, as first reported by Bloomberg. The project they were previously working on was canceled earlier this year amid a purge of some internal live service projects, including an online God of War spin-off at Bluepoint Games. “Bend Studio laid off a bunch of people today,” senior animator Robert Morrison posted on X. “I was a part of the layoffs. I did my best. Hopefully I can find a new team to join.”
Best known for the Syphon Filter espionage games in the PS1 and PS2 eras, Bend Studio later moved on to developing handheld ports of first-party franchises like Resistance and Uncharted before eventually making 2019’s open world zombie blockbuster Days Gone. The game didn’t review as highly as some PlayStation exclusives but still sold well.
While fans pined for a sequel, the studio hasn’t released a game since. Days Gone received a PS5 version earlier this year but has otherwise laid dormant as Bend Studio reportedly worked on a new live service IP. Leaked images made it appear like the now canceled game was an online multiplayer loot shooter of sorts, though no official details about the project were ever shared publicly.
The Bend Studio cuts are the latest self-inflicted wound of a PS5 generation live service pivot that’s left Sony conspicuously short on big first-party blockbusters. Live service spin-offs of Twisted Metal and The Last of Us were also canceled, while Concord’s launch went so poorly the company refunded the game and shutdown the studio behind it which had acquired just a couple years prior.
Another upcoming online shooter, Fairgame$, was recently delayed according to Bloomberg after it received negative feedback from external testing. That studio’s head, Jade Raymond, departed around the same time.
Update 6/10/2025 5:06 p.m. ET: Added statement from Sony.
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