Days Gone, the 2019 title from Bend Studios, was not an overnight success. In fact, the title was mildly lauded at launch. The original IP was originally envisioned as a trilogy, but unfortunately, a rough start made this franchise stall out (for now).

Part of the game’s criticism was due to launch bugs and glitches, but another part had to do with the pacing and story. The game is, at its core, a slower burn. The first few hours take their time to establish the world carefully and, at times, at a leisurely pace that contrasts against the gamer’s expectations of a Harley-revving rapid descent into the post-apocalyptic world of Farewell, Oregon. Around release, the game’s performer behind the protagonist, Sam Witwer, offered the warning: 

“Days Gone was always meant to be a slow-burn game and story. For better or for worse, it was designed for you to take your time. The best story beats and the best gameplay happen much later in the game, and it’s clear that the nature of game reviews and this slow-burn philosophy of game development are not compatible.”

Interestingly, that slow-burn philosophy paralleled some of the game’s fan sentiment. While the game release itself felt a bit slow, the game has since moved over 9 million copies. While this is a fantastic feat (in comparison, another Playstation-exclusive original IP, Ghost of Tsushima, moved around 8 million copies), the lack of critical acclaim and awards snubbed sealed the fate of the game. Countless pieces of coverage disparaged the game, including Vice’s coverage calling the game “an ugly, miserable experience”, overshadowed the praise for the open-world adventure. 

And with that, the zombie game was essentially (un)dead on arrival. 

But then, a second wind came. 

Patches came for day-one players to ensure the title ran smoothly. Streamers picked up the game here and there. The hater-fueled conversations died down. The most important thing that happened at that time; people finished the game. 

Yes, the first few hours of the game are the weakest part of the full 35-40-hour experience, but as Sam Witwer warned, the best story beats and the best gameplay happen much later in the game.

Praise for the game snuck up in the back half of 2019, discussing how the story evolved into a political thriller, showcasing how the government was responsible for the biochemical warfare that ravaged the world and sent society into madness. Unfortunately, in a cruel twist of faith, this conversation about a worldwide pandemic within the game aligned with an actual worldwide pandemic. With that, the second wind died down and the game was, once again, disrespectfully regulated to “we have The Last of Us at home.” 

But a few years later, Days Gone experienced another gust; the title was featured on PlayStation Plus in April 2021 and reached millions of gamers who had put off playing it until then. With that, the fandom was on fire again, eager for more entries in the original IP franchise from Bend Studios. Unfortunately, by this point, Bend Studios didn’t see a future for the franchise. 

By this point, John Garvin, the team’s Creative Director and the writer/director of Days Gone and Jeff Ross, Days Gone game director, had both left the studio. Garvin and Ross had been with Bend Studios since the 1990s and worked heavily on Days Gone with plans for the franchise to be, at minimum, a trilogy.

In a 2023 interview, John Garvin described his vision for the Days Gone trilogy:

“The first game is The Walking Dead. The second game is The Planet of the Apes because you’re dealing with a lot of suddenly very smart enemies, and they still want to kill you… And then the third game would have been full-on… Evolution blown up… the game becomes War of the Worlds or Falling Skies.” 

A second game becomes the war of humans versus evolved freakers (the zombies in this world), particularly those from NERO, the government-run agency looking for power in the post-apocalypse. Sarah, Deacon St. John’s beloved botanist wife, would be continuing her research to cure the freakers, and the camp at large would move to Western Oregon. The map would include the Oregon coastline and more urban centers. 

The third game pits NERO against the last humans, standing in an elevated war with humanity dwindling in the wasteland against heavily armed, evolved freakers whose area of effect is increasingly gaining traction across the land. John Garvin also notes that at some point, Sarah is pregnant, forcing her and Deacon to explore the themes of family and legacy in a world with no certain future. Returning characters would include Lisa, the feral child turned badass drifter, Rikki, the heir apparent to Iron Mike’s iron throne, and Addie, the veterinarian turned chief medical officer in the apocalypse. 

There was no word on if the dialogue would be true to form from the first game. 

The last few years for the Days Gone fandom have been quiet, mostly consisting of people discovering, or rediscovering, the game and gushing about how it was criminally overlooked upon launch. But recently, during the February 2025 PlayStation State of Play, ride-or-die fans got a glimmer of hope. Bend Studios announced that a remaster of the game would be released on April 25, 2025, along with new features like permadeath and speedrun modes. 

Are you holding out hope for this trilogy to come to fruition? Do you ride for Days Gone? Did you know the original title of the game was ‘Dead Don’t Ride’? Let us know in the comments!

PS: wanna read more about why you should give Days Gone a second chance? Check out coverage from our very own Thomas Richards right here!