Bend Studio, the PlayStation development team known for Days Gone, has reportedly halted work on a previously unannounced live service game. According to a report from Insider Gaming, this decision has led to the termination of temporary contracts for several contractors. The report is based on LinkedIn profiles of former Bend Studio contributors, though specific names and numbers were not provided.
At this time, it is unclear how many people have been affected by these contract terminations. The report states that only a handful of temporary workers were offered full-time positions. However, this does not appear to be a case of large-scale layoffs. It is common for development studios to rely on a mix of permanent staff and temporary contractors, with the latter often let go at the end of a project or in cases like this, where a game is canceled.
Bend Studio has not released a game since Days Gone in 2019. The game reportedly sold 7.32 million copies by February 2022, though this number comes from a leak related to Insomniac Games, so it may not be fully accurate.
If Bend Studio was not working on other projects, canceling this live service game could mean that fans will have to wait several more years before the studio releases another game. This could result in a ten-year gap between Days Gone and their next title.
