Days Gone director says game sold about as well as Tsushima, but management made it feel like a disappointment
Day's Gone sold rather well, but not enough for Sony, apparently.
Yesterday, it was announced that Ghost of Tsushima had sold over 8 million copies worldwide since it's release in July of last year, a milestone that Sony and developer Sucker Punch are no doubt proud of. However, did you know that Days Gone also sold rather well? That's what the game's director wants you to know.
Taking to Twitter, the director of Days Gone, Jeff Ross, noted how Bend's title sold about as well as Ghost of Tsushima, but that Sony made the team feel as if sales weren't good enough.
"At the time I left Sony [in 2020], Days Gone had been out for a year and a half (and a month), and sold over 8 million copies," said Ross. "It's since gone on to sell more, and then a million+ on Steam. Local studio management always made us feel like it was a big disappointment."
Ross goes on to say the studio was "planning on building on top of the original for a kick-ass sequel," which was reportedly axed by Sony due to the first game's mixed critical reception.
According to a Blomberg report from last year, instead of working on a sequel, the studio was tasked with working on a new Uncharted title. This led to a small-scale exodus at the studio as many staffers feared the studio would be folded into Naughty Dog at some stage.
Days Gone launched to a mixed critical reception, but has since found a soft spot in the heart of the gaming audience at large - especially on Steam where it has a "very positive" rating from players. Critically, the game currently holds a Metacritic rating of 71, which is something Ross said doesn't mean much in terms of whether or not a sequel is warranted.
"Even the first Killzone got a 70 on metacritic, but the sequel roared back with a 91," he said. "You gotta crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run."