Bend Studio
Sony-owned studio behind Days Gone, quiet since 2019 aside from a remaster.
On the record
Checkpoint: Bend's next project needs a public announcement or Sony's own closure pattern (Firewalk, Bluepoint) repeats here
The call
Bend Studio has shipped nothing original since 2019, lost its live-service bet, and now waits on Sony to greenlight whatever comes next.
Bend Studio makes video games for Sony but has not released an original game since 2019. The studio's last big project, a live-service multiplayer game, was cancelled in early 2025 after spending four years with zero income, and the studio cut 30 percent of its workforce in mid-2025. It is hard to replace a talented game studio, but Sony owns Bend completely and has already shut down two similar studios (Firewalk and Bluepoint) that failed in the same way, so Sony may decide Bend is not worth keeping. The studio is reportedly hiring for a new multiplayer game that has not been announced yet. If Sony approves this new game and announces it publicly, Bend survives. If the studio stays silent through early 2027 or gets cut again, it will likely follow the same path to closure as the two studios Sony already shut down.
Why
01
AI pressure: AI production tools (facial animation, QA, 3D modeling) used at sibling Sony studios. AI asset tools now used at sibling Sony studios add pressure to cut Bend's own art and QA headcount further. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.
02
Bigger players: Sony Interactive Entertainment (parent). Sony cancelled Bend's live-service game after 4 years of zero revenue, cut 30% of staff, and closed two peer studios on the same pattern. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.
03
What protects it. Sony still owns the Days Gone IP and keeps Bend staffed and hiring for an unannounced AAA project instead of closing it outright.
What would change this call
Bend Studio publicly announces its next AAA project with visible Sony marketing support by mid-2027. Would show Sony still backs the studio rather than winding it down.
A second project cancellation or further layoffs at Bend Studio. Would confirm the studio is following the Firewalk and Bluepoint closure pattern.
Sony discloses Days Gone Remastered sales figures. Would indicate whether the remaster gave Bend any revenue or leverage to justify a new budget.
A second project cancellation or further layoffs at Bend Studio. Would confirm the studio is following the Firewalk and Bluepoint closure pattern.
Sony discloses Days Gone Remastered sales figures. Would indicate whether the remaster gave Bend any revenue or leverage to justify a new budget.
Key numbers
- ~40 laid off, about 30% of staff
- Days Gone sold 7.32M units
- Headcount now roughly 90 to 100
Named risks
- No next project formally announced as of July 2026 despite active hiring.
- Pattern match to closed sibling studios Firewalk (2024) and Bluepoint (2026).
- AI productivity tools deployed at sibling studios could reduce need for Bend's asset-heavy headcount.
- Second live-service cancellation or further layoffs would confirm closure trajectory.
- Days Gone film adaptation stalled since 2022, limiting brand visibility.
Rivals, as read in July 2026
| Rival | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Naughty Dog | losing to | Sibling Sony studio with far higher profile and resourcing as of 2026 |
| Guerrilla Games | losing to | Larger, more commercially successful open-world sibling studio within Sony portfolio |
| Insomniac Games | losing to | Named most productive Sony studio of the generation per IGN, July 22 2026 |
| Firewalk Studios | contesting | Closed by Sony in 2024 after live-service Concord failure, same pattern Bend faces |
| Bluepoint Games | contesting | Closed by Sony in 2026 after cancelled God of War spin-off, mirrors Bend's cancellation |
| Krafton Montreal Studio | gaining on | Announced open-world action RPG Project Windless for PS5 in February 2026 |
Questions people ask
- Is Bend Studio shutting down like Firewalk and Bluepoint?
- Not confirmed as of July 2026, but Bend fits the pattern: it cancelled a ~4-year live-service project in January 2025, cut 30% of staff (about 40 people) in June 2025, and has shipped no original title since Days Gone in 2019, with no new project announced.
- Is Bend Studio profitable?
- Bend Studio does not report independent financials or revenue; it is a wholly-owned Sony Interactive Entertainment subsidiary whose output feeds Sony's PlayStation platform revenue, so standalone profitability cannot be assessed as of July 2026.
- Did Bend Studio have layoffs?
- Yes. On June 10, 2025, Sony laid off approximately 40 employees, about 30% of Bend Studio's workforce, following the January 2025 cancellation of its unannounced live-service open-world multiplayer game.
- What is Bend Studio working on now?
- As of July 2026, Bend has no formally announced project. Sony called the June 2025 layoffs a 'transition to its next project,' and by September 2025 Bend was reportedly hiring a Creative Director for an unannounced AAA multiplayer title.
- Could AI replace jobs at Bend Studio?
- Sony disclosed on May 8, 2026 that AI tools like the Mockingbird facial-animation system are in use at sibling studios Naughty Dog and San Diego Studio for animation, QA, and 3D modeling, workflows core to Bend's asset-heavy pipeline, though Bend-specific deployment is unconfirmed.
- Is Bend Studio's Days Gone getting a sequel?
- No sequel is confirmed. Sony's 2022 guidance said Bend's next title would 'build upon the open-world systems of Days Gone' but would not be a direct sequel; as of July 2026 no new title has been announced.
Timeline
- 2026-07-22IGN report calls Bend 'pretty quiet' since 2019 aside from remaster, no new title announced
- 2026-04-07vgtimes report says Bend hiring Creative Director for unannounced AAA multiplayer title (as of Sept 2025)
- 2026-01-21Reports note Days Gone film adaptation stalled since 2022 casting rumor
- 2025-06-11Sony frames layoffs as 'transition' to Bend's next unknown project
- 2025-06-10Sony lays off ~40 Bend Studio employees, about 30% of workforce
- 2025-04-25Days Gone Remastered launches for PS5/PS5 Pro and Steam with $10 upgrade path
- 2025-01-31Sony cancels Bend's unannounced live-service open-world multiplayer game after ~4 years, zero revenue
- 2024-12-31Sony sibling studio Firewalk Studios closes after live-service title Concord flops
- 2022-08-31Days Gone film adaptation announced via PlayStation Productions and Vendetta Productions
- 2000-12-31Sony Computer Entertainment acquires studio, renames it Bend Studio
Revision history
24 July 2026
First assessed. Protection under test. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Sources
- History of Bend Studio
- Days Gone (2026-07-20)
- Will the Days Gone Movie Ever Come to Light? (2026-01-21)
- Sony Lays Off 30% Of Days Gone Developer Bend Studio (2025-06-10)
- Ultimate Pop Culture Wiki: Bend Studio (2019-03-07)
- Sony's Bend Studio Lays Off 40 Employees (2025-06-11)
- Days Gone Dev Bend Studio Cuts Jobs As It 'Transitions' To Next Unknown Project (2025-06-11)
- Bend Studio, news, articles and guides (2026-04-07)
- The State of Every PlayStation Studio (2026-07-22)
- Sony's 'Walking Dead Meets Sons Of Anarchy' Is A Hit Show Waiting To Happen (2026-07-07)
- PlayStation Says AI Tools Are in Use Across Studios Like Naughty Dog and San Diego (2026-05-08)
- Sony Expands AI Tools Across PlayStation Studios (2026-05-11)