Days Gone Director Blasts Astro Bot Cameo; Says Deacon Reduced To Cartoon Shill

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Abdullah Waseem

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Days Gone was a mixed bag for many. Some didn’t like it, calling it very generic, while others praised found it incredible. Recently, Bend Studios congratulated Asobi on Astro Bot, with a picture of Deacon St. John garnering attention from the franchise director.

The post features Deek as a bot looking at robot dogs playing on the beach. Days Gone’s John Garvin was unhappy with this post and expressed dissatisfaction with the protagonist’s portrayal in this image.

Why it matters: The former director, who left Bend Studio in 2019, has always been very vocal about Days Gone not getting the treatment it deserved. This time, he’s furious about the IP’s cameo in Astro Bot.

John Garvin replied to Bend Studio’s latest Twitter post, stating that it is sad that Deek has been reduced to promoting other games. When told he was being harsh, he said that seeing his character reduced to a ‘cartoon shill’ and promoting smaller games justified his reaction.

I see my character being reduced to a cartoon shill promoting some small game, and I’m being harsh?

– John Garvin

Fans have been demanding a Days Gone sequel for a very long time. And it’s sad that Sony hasn’t treated the game with much love despite sales figures showing potential for a full franchise.

However, calling Astro Bot ‘some small game’ doesn’t make sense either. Astro Bot is the best-rated Opencritic game for PlayStation to date. Moreover, it features many other characters as bots, including Kratos, Nathan Drake, Ratchet, and more.

As such, these cameos serve as a homage to these IPs. Even Deek is included in the game as part of PlayStation’s legacy, celebrating Days Gone as an important part of Sony’s gaming brand.

John Garvin still seems upset that Days Gone 2 never happened, but his anger seems misdirected in this instance. Fortunately, he later clarified that his statements did not intend to disrespect Astro Bot.

Bend Studio is currently working on a live-service project. While John Garvin is no longer involved, fans are curious to see where the studio goes from here.

Abdullah Waseem

News Reporter

Abdullah is an avid gamer who primarily plays single-player titles. If you can’t find him anywhere, he’ll probably be at his desk playing The Witcher 3 for the millionth time. When he isn’t playing games, he’s either reading or writing about them.