Bend Studio Set to Reveal Next Project Soon After 8 Years with No New Game and There’s Good News for Live-Service Haters

PlayStation boasts an expansive studio lineup, though certain developers naturally command more spotlight than others. One team with a quieter profile, yet responsible for a beloved stealth franchise in PlayStation’s early era, is Bend Studio. For fans who have awaited its return, there is finally good news: after nearly eight years of silence, the Oregon-based studio will be releasing a new game.

Bend Studio delivered several titles throughout the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, but has been entirely absent from the current decade. This release drought began following the 2019 launch of Days Gone on PlayStation 4.

Bend Studio Has Not Released a New Game in 8 Years

The lack of releases doesn’t mean the studio has been idle. According to game director Jeff Ross, Bend originally pitched a sequel to Days Gone, but PlayStation declined to greenlight it.

Subsequent reports revealed that Sony later canceled a live-service project Bend was working on. Early in 2026, leaked animation clips surfaced online from a canceled build, reportedly code-named Mirror Pond.

Despite these setbacks and layoffs, Bend Studio has forged ahead with a fresh project that may be much closer to completion than expected.

Is Bend Studio Working on a New Syphon Filter or a Days of Gone Game?

Details come via an MP1st report citing sources familiar with internal operations at the PlayStation studio, who spoke under the condition of anonymity.

While sources didn’t clarify whether the game is a new IP or a returning franchise, they confirmed it is not a Days Gone sequel. Fans hoping to see Deacon St. John’s story continue shouldn’t expect a follow-up anytime soon.

The unannounced project features a third-person perspective and incorporates cooperative multiplayer elements. Crucially, it will not operate as a live-service title, aligning with recent hints about the game’s design. While the leak didn’t specify whether co-op is local or online, online functionality is almost certainly the primary focus.

In that regard, Bend’s next title appears structurally similar to the original The Last of Us: a single-player story first and foremost, complemented by a secondary multiplayer mode.

Bend Studio’s Next Game Will Be Arriving Sooner Than Expected

Surprisingly, the project is already “far along in development” and the studio currently plans to reveal the title in 2027.

Better yet, players won’t face a long wait between announcement and release, as PlayStation is targeting a launch in that same year.

A reveal during the first half of 2027 would give Sony enough time for a focused marketing campaign ahead of a late-2027 release window.

As with any unofficial report, these plans remain subject to change, though MP1st has established a reliable track record with insider details in recent years.

What kind of game would you prefer from Bend Studio? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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