Days Gone Developer Bend Studio Confirms Layoffs, 30 Percent of Staff Reportedly Impacted

Sony's Oregon-based Bend Studio has been hit with layoffs. The Days Gone developer, whose live service title was cancelled earlier this year, is reportedly laying off 30 percent of its staff. The studio confirmed the latest round of job cuts in a statement posted on social media on Wednesday, thanking impacted staff. Bend Studio, however, did not confirm the number of employees laid off in its statement.

Bend Studio Hit With Layoffs

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported the layoffs in a post on Bluesky Tuesday, claiming 30 percent of Bend Studio staff, which amounts to around 40 people, were impacted. According to him, the Sony-owned studio has been working on a new project since its live service game was cancelled in January.

“Today, we said goodbye to some incredibly talented teammates as we transition to our next project,” Bend Studio said in a statement confirming the job cuts a day after Schreier's post. “We're deeply thankful for their contributions as they've shaped who we are, and their impact will always be part of our story.

“This is a difficult moment for our team, but we hold immense respect for everyone who got us here. As we move forward, we remain committed to building the future of Bend Studio with creativity, passion, and innovation in the titles we craft.”

Layoffs After Live Service Project Cancellation

Bend had been working on a live service project, which was cancelled alongside another live service game from Sony's Bluepoint Games in January. Both games were unannounced, but reports said that Bluepoint had been working on a live service God of War title.

“Bend and Bluepoint are highly accomplished teams who are valued members of the PlayStation Studios family, and we are working closely with each studio to determine what are the next projects,” a Sony spokesperson had said at the time. The two cancellations came as part of PlayStation's broader U-turn on its live service push that has seen multiple live service games cancelled in the past year. 

In April, Bend Studio released a remastered version of Days Gone on PS5 with improved visuals, DualSense controller support, new accessibility features and more.