<s>
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2019	O
action-adventure	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sony	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
post-apocalyptic	O
Oregon	O
two	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
a	O
pandemic	O
that	O
turned	O
a	O
portion	O
of	O
humanity	O
into	O
vicious	O
zombie-like	O
creatures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
is	O
played	O
from	O
a	O
third-person	O
perspective	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
explore	O
an	O
open	O
world	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
was	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
's	O
first	O
open-world	O
project	O
,	O
its	O
first	O
original	O
property	O
since	O
Syphon	B-Application
Filter	I-Application
(	O
1999	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
first	O
development	O
project	O
for	O
home	O
consoles	O
after	O
spending	O
decades	O
working	O
on	O
spinoff	O
games	O
for	O
handheld	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Major	O
sources	O
of	O
inspiration	O
for	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
were	O
World	O
War	O
Z	O
,	O
The	O
Walking	O
Dead	O
and	O
Sons	O
of	O
Anarchy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
it	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
criticized	O
the	O
story	O
,	O
mission	O
design	O
,	O
and	O
technical	O
issues	O
but	O
praised	O
the	O
graphics	O
,	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Sam	O
Witwer	O
's	O
performance	O
as	O
Deacon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
;	O
it	O
sold	O
more	O
copies	O
than	O
all	O
of	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
's	O
previous	O
games	O
combined	O
and	O
became	O
the	O
19th-best-selling	O
game	O
of	O
2019	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
action-adventure	O
game	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
post-apocalyptic	O
open	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
two	O
years	O
after	O
a	O
pandemic	O
killed	O
almost	O
all	O
of	O
humanity	O
and	O
transformed	O
millions	O
of	O
others	O
into	O
"	O
Freakers	O
"	O
,	O
mindless	O
,	O
zombie-like	O
creatures	O
that	O
evolve	O
quickly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
virus	O
has	O
decimated	O
the	O
globe	O
,	O
turning	O
a	O
large	O
portion	O
of	O
humanity	O
into	O
violent	O
zombie-like	O
creatures	O
called	O
Freakers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
Sony	O
's	O
first-party	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
core	O
development	O
team	O
included	O
studio	O
director	O
Christopher	O
Reese	O
,	O
game	O
director	O
Jeff	O
Ross	O
,	O
and	O
creative	O
director	O
John	O
Garvin	O
,	O
all	O
of	O
whom	O
had	O
worked	O
at	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
since	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
creating	O
Syphon	B-Application
Filter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
is	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
first	O
open	O
world	O
game	O
,	O
its	O
first	O
original	O
intellectual	O
property	O
since	O
Syphon	B-Application
Filter	I-Application
(	O
1999	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
home	O
consoles	O
since	O
Syphon	B-Application
Filter	I-Application
:	I-Application
Logan	I-Application
's	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Full	O
production	O
of	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
commenced	O
in	O
early	O
2015	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
development	O
cycle	O
lasted	O
for	O
six	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
lead	O
designer	O
Eric	O
Jensen	O
,	O
the	O
open	O
world	O
mechanics	O
of	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
were	O
designed	O
by	O
a	O
small	O
team	O
of	O
five	O
or	O
six	O
developers	O
who	O
"	O
had	O
to	O
think	O
smart	O
and	O
efficient	O
with	O
all	O
of	O
our	O
design	O
choices	O
knowing	O
the	O
manpower	O
limitations	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
enemies	O
featured	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
are	O
similar	O
to	O
zombies	B-Application
,	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
named	O
them	O
"	O
Freakers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Swarmers	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
"	O
a	O
guy	O
who	O
was	O
doing	O
a	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
video	I-General_Concept
where	O
he	O
was	O
moving	O
weird	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
Newts	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
contortionists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
spent	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
time	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
group	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
to	O
ensure	O
the	O
horde	O
would	O
not	O
only	O
charge	O
at	O
Deacon	O
in	O
a	O
straight	O
line	O
but	O
would	O
also	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
terrain	O
to	O
overwhelm	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
has	O
multiple	O
,	O
intertwined	O
stories	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
switch	O
between	O
narratives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garvin	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
impressed	O
by	O
his	O
work	O
on	O
The	O
Purge	O
:	O
Anarchy	O
,	O
invited	O
Nathan	O
Whitehead	O
to	O
compose	O
the	O
music	O
for	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
performed	O
by	O
the	O
Nashville	O
Scoring	O
Orchestra	O
and	O
soloists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
accommodate	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
medium	O
's	O
interactivity	O
,	O
the	O
score	O
for	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
was	O
built	O
up	O
in	O
layers	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
engine	O
could	O
add	O
or	O
remove	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Publisher	O
Sony	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
unveiled	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
at	O
E3	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
was	O
postponed	O
from	O
February	O
22	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
to	O
April	O
26	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
to	O
avoid	O
competing	O
with	O
other	O
triple-A	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Metro	B-Application
:	I-Application
Exodus	I-Application
and	O
Anthem	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
Sony	O
's	O
efforts	O
to	O
bring	O
more	O
of	O
its	O
first-party	O
content	O
to	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
following	O
Horizon	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
Dawn	I-Application
,	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
released	O
for	O
Windows	O
via	O
Steam	B-Application
and	O
Epic	O
Games	O
Store	O
on	O
May	O
18	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
supported	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
free	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
Survival	O
difficulty	O
mode	O
,	O
which	O
modifies	O
the	O
head-up	B-Application
display	I-Application
and	O
disables	O
options	O
to	O
fast	O
travel	O
,	O
was	O
introduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
Bend	O
added	O
New	O
Game	O
Plus	O
and	O
the	O
MB-150	O
,	O
a	O
sniper	O
rifle	O
from	O
the	O
Syphon	B-Application
Filter	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bike	O
tanks	O
,	O
decorations	O
,	O
and	O
frame	O
paint	O
inspired	O
by	O
Death	B-Application
Stranding	I-Application
were	O
released	O
in	O
November	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
was	O
met	O
with	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
reviews	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
version	O
and	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
sentiment	O
was	O
shared	O
by	O
Eurogamers	O
Malindy	O
Hetfeld	O
,	O
who	O
said	O
in	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
,	O
players	O
are	O
"	O
doing	O
the	O
exact	O
same	O
thing	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
exact	O
same	O
way	O
,	O
for	O
hours	O
on	O
end.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Lavoy	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
noted	O
the	O
small	O
scale	O
of	O
the	O
map	O
and	O
criticized	O
the	O
way	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
uses	O
environmental	O
obstacles	O
to	O
force	O
players	O
to	O
navigate	O
longer	O
distances	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kato	O
described	O
the	O
experience	O
as	O
"	O
terrifying	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
tense	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
applauded	O
the	B-Application
artificial	I-Application
intelligence	I-Application
for	O
being	O
unpredictable	O
,	O
meaning	O
that	O
different	O
trials	O
may	O
lead	O
to	O
vastly	O
different	O
outcomes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
reviewers	O
were	O
not	O
impressed	O
by	O
the	O
Freakers	O
because	O
of	O
their	O
similarity	O
to	O
zombies	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Andrew	O
Webster	O
from	O
The	O
Verge	O
called	O
the	O
story	O
bland	O
and	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
unfavorably	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Last	I-Application
of	I-Application
Us	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
also	O
published	O
by	O
Sony	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Takahashi	O
criticized	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
and	O
unstable	O
frame	O
rate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
was	O
the	O
best-selling	O
physical	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
in	O
the	O
week	O
of	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
outsold	O
two	O
other	O
PlayStation	O
4-exclusive	O
games	O
at	O
launch	O
,	O
God	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
and	O
Horizon	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
Dawn	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
exceeded	O
the	O
lifetime	O
Japanese	O
sales	O
of	O
God	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Last	I-Application
Guardian	I-Application
,	O
another	O
exclusive	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
first	O
three	O
days	O
after	O
its	O
launch	O
,	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
sold	O
approximately	O
114,319	O
physical	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
was	O
the	O
second-best-selling	O
video	O
game	O
for	O
April	O
2019	O
,	O
behind	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
11	I-Application
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
seventh-highest	O
debut	O
in	O
sales	O
for	O
a	O
Sony-published	O
title	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
best-selling	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
was	O
the	O
eighth-best-selling	O
video	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
game	O
director	O
Jeff	O
Ross	O
,	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
sold	O
more	O
copies	O
than	O
all	O
of	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
's	O
previous	O
games	O
combined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2022	O
,	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
's	O
director	O
Jeff	O
Ross	O
claimed	O
on	O
Twitter	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
sold	O
over	O
8	O
million	O
copies	O
by	O
late	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Awards	O
Outstanding	O
Achievement	O
in	O
Animation	O
NAVGTR	O
Awards	O
Animation	O
,	O
Technical	O
Graphics	O
,	O
Technical	O
Original	O
Dramatic	O
Score	O
,	O
New	O
IP	O
Song	O
,	O
Original	O
or	O
Adapted	O
(	O
"	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
Quiet	O
"	O
)	O
Sound	O
Editing	O
in	O
a	O
Game	O
Cinema	O
Sound	O
Effects	O
Use	O
of	O
Sound	O
,	O
New	O
IP	O
G.A.N.G.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
9	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Jason	O
Schreier	O
of	O
Bloomberg	O
News	O
revealed	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
had	O
pitched	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
but	O
that	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
's	O
mixed	O
critical	O
reception	O
and	O
lengthy	O
development	O
process	O
caused	O
Sony	O
to	O
reject	O
the	O
proposal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
afterward	O
,	O
Ross	O
confirmed	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
2	O
had	O
been	O
pitched	O
to	O
Sony	O
but	O
that	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
details	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
confirmed	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
non-disclosure	O
agreement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
revealed	O
that	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
plan	O
for	O
the	O
sequel	O
was	O
a	O
"	O
shared	O
universe	O
with	O
co-op	O
play	O
,	O
"	O
which	O
was	O
not	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
due	O
to	O
staffing	O
constraints	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
appearing	O
on	O
a	O
podcast	O
with	O
David	O
Jaffe	O
,	O
the	O
creator	O
of	O
the	O
God	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
franchise	O
,	O
Garvin	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
If	O
you	O
love	O
a	O
game	O
,	O
buy	O
it	O
at	O
fucking	O
full	O
price	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
implied	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
did	O
not	O
receive	O
a	O
sequel	O
partly	O
because	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
turn	O
enough	O
profit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garvin	O
came	O
under	O
fire	O
for	O
his	O
remarks	O
;	O
commenters	O
said	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
had	O
already	O
benefitted	O
from	O
fan	O
support	O
during	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
unreasonable	O
to	O
ask	O
someone	O
to	O
spend	O
US$70	O
on	O
an	O
unknown	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
David	O
Jaffe	O
,	O
then	O
chief	O
executive	O
officer	O
of	O
SIE	O
Worldwide	O
Studios	O
,	O
Shawn	O
Layden	O
had	O
vigorously	O
supported	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
as	O
soon	O
as	O
Layden	O
left	O
his	O
role	O
in	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
Jaffe	O
said	O
"	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
was	O
dead	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jaffe	O
said	O
that	O
when	O
trying	O
to	O
pitch	O
a	O
sequel	O
"	O
it	O
was	O
just	O
an	O
uphill	O
battle	O
the	O
whole	O
time	O
"	O
and	O
Ross	O
stated	O
that	O
Sony	O
requested	O
if	O
Sony	O
intellectual	O
properties	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
instead	O
like	O
Syphon	B-Application
Filter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
announcement	O
that	O
Ghost	B-Application
of	I-Application
Tsushima	I-Application
,	O
another	O
SIE	O
first-party	O
game	O
(	O
developed	O
by	O
Sucker	O
Punch	O
Productions	O
)	O
,	O
had	O
sold	O
over	O
eight	O
million	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ross	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
say	O
that	O
whilst	O
at	O
Bend	O
Studio	O
he	O
saw	O
Days	B-Application
Gone	I-Application
sell	O
over	O
five	O
million	O
copies	O
,	O
the	O
tracking	O
site	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
suggested	O
5.8million	O
copies	O
sold	O
.	O
</s>
