Days Gone is a single player open world game, and like so many of Sony’s exclusive games, it has a huge focus on storytelling. But speaking with GamesBeat, the CEO of World War Z developer Saber Interactive has revealed that his company actually pitched a multiplayer mode for the Bend Studio title, which it ultimately rejected.
“At some point, I went to Sony and said, ‘I’ve seen what you’re doing with Days Gone. Look what we’re doing with World War Z. Maybe we can help you with a multiplayer component.’ But they were obviously too focused, and understandably, on what they needed to do to get that game out,” explained Matthew Karch.
He continued: “We were already under development when we heard about it. Of course we took a deep sigh, when you know Sony is going to be putting major marketing dollars behind a title that’s highlighting the swarms the way they were, it took a little wind out of our sails. But since then they’ve focused less on those swarm elements and more, I think, on the story aspect of their game.”
It makes sense for Saber Interactive to make the pitch, but multiplayer modes never feel quite right when they’re developed by an external team – look at titles like DOOM, for example. We reckon Sony probably made the right decision here, although there will be people who wished that there was an online element to Days Gone, we’re sure.
[source venturebeat.com]
Comments 60
just what I like to hear so rare these days nice one Sony.
A good decision, I want a storydriven zombie game in true Romero style, we have so very few of those.
The world needs more single-player games, there are many studios focused on multiplayer and MTs already.
‘Tis a Chwistmas miwacle!🤓
Good to hear, but I still don't think this is going to sell as well as Sony hoped. Not because it doesn't look well made, just that aside from on this site I haven't met one person who's bothered about it.
It's like I instantly forget it exists the moment I leave the page. It's just so cliche and has nothing to make it stand out.
It's played too straight to be campy, and too cheesy to have that "cool" factor.
I mean, it's even got Sam "Pouty Mac Charmless" Witwer as Town Bike or whatever his name is. It's the very definition of bland.
I mean I'd love to be proven wrong, and if it turns out to be the next Last of Us then great! However, it just seems like SoA meets Walking Dead. Two franchises which need to just be put out of their misery completely and-even as of about five years ago- are more stale than the shambling wazzocks trying to eat your brains.
Sony making the right call like usual
In Sony we trust. Glad the final decision was a no.
GOOD at least Sony still realise that Single player games are important
although strangely this is the kind of game that could be fun with some form of co-op
Good that Sony are still focusing on single player but this is one game that just doesn't look very good to me at all.
@Johnnycide
'aside from on this site I haven't met one person who's bothered about it. '
I mean.. Respectfully and in the most friendly way possible....thats utter, complete, total bull
Sony is right in this case, it's okay if bend studio want to do multiplayer like uncharted/tlou, but I don't think it's good if it's made by external studio.
We already have a lot of Online Zombie games, I don't think we need another. If Saber wanted to make a multiplayer, a new IP would be acceptable too.
If the game demos well, and initial reviews are positive with an early embargo lift, it could do well. Hopefully Sony learned from their Until Dawn marketing.
@lacerz
Why is it that everyone seems obsessed with sales though?
Not really blaming them but honest question.
Sure, if it sells well I guess we r more likely to have a sequel (Which I'd love) and its supposed to be a new franchise so there's that.... Ultimately though, all I want is to have a great time with the game... Sales are a bonus...I guess?
love none mulitplayer got battlefield v for short bursts of multi
The amount of hate spewed (not necessarily on this site) about this game and studio blow my mind. I can assure everyone if this looked like a dumpster fire Sony would know. And the fact SWW Studios have a phenomenal track record im not worried about the quality of this title. However, some gaming sites have already made their mind up and look to vilify and doom this game before it even arrives. If I was Bend that would be my fuel to just knock this out of the park even more
good, i'm gad they didn't put MP, not every game needs it.
Have little interest in this game. This genre has been done enough already. Sony is already running scared by changing the release date. Not having multi-player is another reason not to buy it.
Good. This should further hammer in the point that single games still thrive. Even though I’m very critical of Sony these days, not even I can deny that this is a good move.
@JJ2
Sales prevent IPs from being abandoned with cliffhanger endings. The Order: 1886 comes to mind.
@lacerz I'd still be up for a sequel to The Order, despite it's shortcomings it was still enjoyable enough and I was eager to see where the story went next. Maybe Sony will give the IP to another studio one day, but I won't get my hopes up.
I get the the feeling this won't review or sell as well as Sony's recent releases but I still think it can be a good, not great, worth playing game.
Excellent.
This is one of my most anticipated games of next year, alongside (hopefully) TLOU2. And if I'm honest, I couldn't give you an order of preference.
@Paranoimia Can’t wait for The Last of Us 2 as well, but it’s probably not coming next year.
Great to hear, this has been my 2nd most anticipated game out of all the ps4 exclusives that have come or are coming, Last of Us 2 being the my first.
Honestly, good for Sony. I am also in the camp of "Do I really care about this game?", But I genuinely want it to be the best game possible for those who do, because I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed God of War despite also being in that camp about that game initially.
@Johnnycide Well, be prepared to be proven wrong.
@tudsworth Begging yer pardon, good person, but do you ‘as a license for that manifestation o’ positive logic of yers??🤣
@lacerz
Indeed!
That comes after enjoying the game though. One thing at a time
@BearsEatBeets
To be fair the Order s main shortcoming was because of it felt like a part one or even half the story it should have been.
It s more the gamers who bought the game who deserve part two so to speak.
(Too bad for devs who d call that 'entitled')
I say let me buy Days Gone day one, I believe in it. Don't blame me if I ask a sequel though. Sales are theirs to worry about.
@JJ2 As per community rules
Do not use profanity; Use of unsavoury language including profanity and swearing is not acceptable, please remember that this website has users of all ages.
So let's watch the language.
Thanks for understanding
Good to hear, really looking forward to this game
@Cordeceps as I said, I would like this to be another hit for Sony. However, I can't see it selling as well as they'd hope due to there being zero interest from anyone I've met. It'll be more of an order 1886 than a God of War, sales wise. Not Game Wise, but sales wise.
@Johnnycide I do agree with you on how a lot of people will most likely sleep on this game due to how many Zombie games there is in the market but hey Cod keeps selling for what ever reason so I'm sure this game will find a market.
P.S.: A game selling a lot of copies doesn't make it a good game.
Edit: Sorry, mis read your comment. I missed the part where you were talking about it from a sales perspective, my b, my b.
Leaving my og comment so I can feel the shame of not reading a comment in full.
@Johnnycide I guess we will have to agree to disagree then because nearly everywhere I look and everyone I know will be picking it up and are looking forward to it.
No doubt its not going to be in the god of war sales wise but it will certainly hold its own. Probably more Detroit Become human sales wise in my opinion, because it will have its own select market, slow and stable seller over time.
@Johnnycide
Excuse me. Your comment implies you referring to this site as the only people 'you know' bothered about it. Quote: 'aside from on this site '
Either your internet only works for this site or your comment wasn't worded clearly. Maybe you meant 'aside from the...internet ???'
Keep it classy.
I know one person who wants this game and it's that one person who has talked about it. No one else I know has there more interested in Ghosts of T, and Last of Us Part 2 for the final year of PS4
@JJ2 yeah my reply to you was a bit unpleasant there. Apologies.
What I mean is that I work with a lot of people who are really big on gaming, and most of my friends are as well. Nobody is talking about this game. To me that says that there's not much interest.
@Johnnycide
No worries. I don't think that means much though. Maybe they are just misinformed like I personally think a lot of people have a wrong idea of what the game is really about?
To be fair, I'm not really interested in sales and even if its a bit of a flop I'd feel more like privileged to be part of gamers playing this game at launch. Don't forget this is a new IP though. Its never going to get as much buzz as GOW or Spidey.
Still, I use twitter a lot for my personal information and there s a lot of fans who cant wait for the game.
Day 1. Not everything needs MULTIPLAYER. For that reason alone they have my respect and confidence they will make an unforgettable campaign.
@Johnnycide
There are also a lot of people voicing their 'concerns' (don't take it the wrong way though. It is what it is) for the game being 'bland, generic, going to flop, etc etc you name it haha'. To me its just noise. The more they do, the more it obviously shows there is an obvious interest in talking about the game. Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to criticize your opinion. Its just an observation.
It may be that Sony decided to axe the multiplayer because they want to focus on single player experiences, but I dont think thats the case. I think Sony already anticipates that this game is not going to be a big hit like god of war, Spiderman etc so they decided theres no real point investing more money into the project than necessary
This game desperately needs a polished story trailer to hook me in.
@PS_Nation Well, I did say 'hopefully'! 😁
But I think you may be right. I've a feeling it will be delayed due to the proximity to a potential PS5. I have a feeling that, even though Sony's next system will probably be backwards-compatible with PS4, they will hold on until the new system's spec is finalised. That way they can include enhancements for it, just as some current games have differing code paths depending on whether they're running on a standard PS4 or a Pro.
@David187 if it had multiplayer you don't have to play it
@Johnnycide then don't buy it when it's out
@Suren1998
I agree. It needs a nice story trailer. That s going to be the case with the launch trailer hopefully.
I got the feeling the story could be turned upside down after a few hours in though so I just hope it's going to be relatively spoiler free.
This and Dreams are my most anticipated games for next year. I'm glad they are sticking to single player. Plenty of multiplayer zombie games out there.
In fairness I was hyped when this was originally announced but over time I seem to forget about it. I will buy it eventually but I'm not fussed about multiplayer one way or another
@Johnnycide I believe your post is fair. Days Gone really looks great in my opinion and I really want to succeed, but there are risks being a new ip and all.
Thank god, this is one game that does not need multiplayer.
Too many zombie games are like that, good to see an actual story driven game.
Linear, one and done, over the shoulder with a sidekick or two, third person cinematic snoozefsts or BUST
#4theplayers
@Rolyatthegoon days gone isn't even linear it's a open world game.
@Jay767 an open world re-skin of TLOU. Yawn. These games are starting to blend together at this point. But I'll concede to your correction.
@Rolyatthegoon what wrong with it being an open world TLOU i mean TLOU was an amazing game loved by many and days gone aka open world TLOU would be amazing to.
@Jay767 TLOU is one of my all time favorites but Sony is going to the third person, cinematic well too damn often. Where's the risk taking Sony of the PS1 era? As i said, yawn. Multiplayer has obviously become a taboo word at Sony HQ. Where's SOCOM? Killzone? Twisted Metal?
@Rolyatthegoon the third person cinematic games have been super successful for sony latey so sony focus more on those type of games. the multiplayer games you named didn't or stop being successful for sony so sony focus less on those multiplayer type of games .
@Undead22 no need for it make the Single Player the focus & a few nice story DLCs.
@David187 or both
@Undead22 waste of time & resources IMO. I applaud Sony for not tacking on MP stuff just for the sake of it.
@David187 waste of time? Umm no
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