Even Though It Never Happened, Bend’s Rumored Uncharted Game is a Good Sign

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As a long-time admirer of gaming and its intricate web of development stories, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia when reflecting upon Bend Studio’s journey through the years. This unsung hero among PlayStation developers has managed to carve out a unique niche for itself despite often being overshadowed by more renowned studios.

Among all first-party developers at PlayStation, Bend Studio might not receive as much appreciation as it should. Based in Oregon, this company has been a part of the gaming scene for 32 years, predating even the PlayStation brand. However, its collection of games is often not given the same level of acclaim as studios such as Sucker Punch, Naughty Dog, or Insomniac. Initially, Bend Studio made puzzle video games for the Apple Newton, but during the PS1 era, it expanded its repertoire to include various projects like the Syphon Filter series. Today, the studio is primarily recognized for creating the 2019 zombie-themed game Days Gone, which garnered mixed reviews from critics but was well-received by players.

According to the latest whispers, it seems that the next project from Bend Studio could be a military multiplayer third-person shooter with possible Game-as-a-Service (GAAS) features. This unrevealed title is said to belong to a fresh intellectual property, and won’t be a sequel to the likes of Syphon Filter, SOCOM, or any other classic PlayStation series. It might be that Bend Studio decided to explore new ground after Days Gone, although they had initially planned to work on an Uncharted game which may no longer be in development.

A New Uncharted Game Was Reportedly in Development at Bend Studio

Bend Studio Was Working on New Uncharted and Days Gone Games, But Both Were Scrapped

In April 2021, there were whispers that a follow-up to “Days Gone” had been temporarily paused, allegedly because of the challenging production process and mixed reviews of its original version. At that time, Jason Schreier from Bloomberg announced that one of Bend Studio’s teams, which was working on “Days Gone 2”, had decided to work on a new “Uncharted” game instead. While Schreier didn’t disclose any details about this upcoming game, he did confirm that it was in the early stages of development.

The validity of Schreier’s assertions was supported by leaked documents from the 2023 Insomniac hack, dating back to 2020. These papers suggested that Bend Studio had been considering a sequel for Days Gone and an Uncharted game at some point. However, despite four years having passed since these documents were discovered, neither the Uncharted project nor its announcement has materialized. According to Schreier, this may be because it was probably scrapped. Due to the staff at Bend Studio preferring to work on a new intellectual property rather than a continuation of the Uncharted series, the game never made it to market.

Bend Studio Has Experience With the Uncharted Franchise

If Bend Studio had developed a new Uncharted game, it wouldn’t have been their debut project with the renowned action-adventure series. In fact, they’ve worked alongside Sony affiliate Naughty Dog on numerous projects and produced several spin-offs of the Uncharted franchise, including Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Uncharted: Fight for Fortune, and Uncharted: Drake’s Trail. Usually, Sony keeps its flagship first-party IPs within a specific developer family under PlayStation, but Bend Studio was an exception to this rule.

Sony May Be Willing to Let Other Studios Work On their Legacy Franchises In the Future

It might prove advantageous for Sony to encourage collaboration between their internal teams and sister studios, such as letting Insomniac develop a new installment of the mainline Infamous series or allowing Polyphony Digital to create a sixth MotorStorm game.

It’s uncertain if hypothetical games like these will ever be developed, or if developers under Sony are keen on working on franchises they didn’t originate. However, Sony allowing a studio like Bend Studio to work on a key Naughty Dog IP indicates that the company might still be open to reviving franchises even without their original creators leading the charge. This could potentially offer some fans a glimmer of hope that Sony may revisit dormant IPs, similar to the rumored plans for the Uncharted series.

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2024-12-21 20:53