Bend company creating video game set in C.O.
Zombies will soon be coming to Central Oregon. But don’t worry, they’ll be confined to your screen. Bend Studio is developing a new post-apocalyptic video game set on the High Desert.
“For the people that live in this area, they’ll recognize some of the elements of the game,” said Bend Studio director Chris Reese said Friday.
The game is called “Days Gone” and is a new open-world video game for PlayStation 4.
“The world has ended, a virus has transformed everybody else to what we call ‘freakers,’ and everything you see in Bend is an awesome backdrop,” said creative director John Gavin.
Gavin explained how the game is set in a town called ‘Farewell,’ after Bend’s original name Farewell Bend. He described the game as a mix between “Sons of Anarchy” and “The Walking Dead.”
“We’re all fans of the ‘Sons of Anarchy’ TV show,” game director Jeff Ross said. “We’re all fans of zombie content, TV shows and games. We really felt like we had some ideas that haven’t been done in games before.”
The company behind the game is a 100-employee Sony company called Bend Studio. The game developers said they focused on creating a unique player experience when designing the game. They also added many zombies, which they call ‘”freakers.'”
“Days Gone” recently made its debut at the E3 Electronic Expo, which is a gaming trade show in Los Angeles. At E3, the game received many nominations, including “Best Game of the Show” and “Most Innovative.”
The game has yet to be released, but it’s already creating quite the buzz on social media. The trailer released less than a month ago already has around 2 million views on YouTube.
“W’ere making the game, but we’re also making something people are dying to play,” Ross said.
Bend Studio has been working on the game for four years, and it’s still being fine-tuned.
The company said this is the largest project they’ve taken on, and they’re enjoying it. They believe the game will be worth the wait and are excited to soon be able to share “Days Gone” with the world.
The studio also is looking for more people to join their team. If you are interested in applying, visit www.bendstudio.com.
