Bend Studio

## Sony Interactive Entertainment Bend Studio

Studio logo since 2022; the symbols in the triangle represents the mountains of Bend, Oregon

### Formerly

Blank, Berlyn and Co. (1992 - 1995)
Eidetic (1995 - 2000)

### Parent company

Sony Interactive Entertainment (since 2000)* PlayStation Studios (since 2005)

### Founders

Marc Blank
Michael Berlyn

### Key people

Christopher Reese (studio director)
Gerald Harrison (production manager)

### Notable products

*Syphon Filter* series
*Resistance: Retribution*
*Uncharted: Golden Abyss*
*Days Gone*

### Number of employees

+130 (2019)~220 (2023)

**Bend Studio** is an American game development studio based in Bend, Oregon. It was founded in 1992 under the name **Blank, Berlyn and Co.** and was later renamed into **Eidetic** before getting acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2000. Since 2005, Bend Studio operates under PlayStation Studios.

The company's debut game was the critically-panned PlayStation 1 title *Bubsy 3D*. Afterwards, the studio was approached by Sony to work on an espionage video game which morphed into the *Syphon Filter* franchise. The franchise saw six installments under Bend Studio.

Outside of the *Syphon Filter*, Bend Studio created spin-off titles for the *Uncharted* and *Resistance* franchises created by Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games respectively. In 2019 Bend released their first IP since *Syphon Filter*, *Days Gone*, which received mixed reviews but was a commercial success. While a pitch for a sequel wasn't accepted, the team aided Naughty Dog with other projects, before beginning work on a new intellectual property in March 2021.

Reception to Bend Studio's games has been largely positive, with favorable remarks towards the studio's contributions to the PlayStation library and action-adventure genre. Their work on *Syphon Filter* was met with acclaim, particularly the first game and its PlayStation Portable sequels, while the studio's work on borrowed IPs such as *Resistance* and *Uncharted* was well-received for their authenticity and quality. Their work on *Days Gone* received mixed reception, but developed a dedicated fanbase.

## History

### 2012-2019: Later game pitches, *Days Gone*

In late 2013, Bend Studio began pre-production on a new title, which progressed into active development by January 2015. Sony and Bend Studio officially announced the game as a post-apocalyptic open world title called *Days Gone*, at Sony's E3 conference in June 2016. Originally slated for 2018, *Days Gone* was delayed several times until it was released on April 26, 2019. Reception to the game upon release was mixed, though it was commercially successful and outsold the studio's previous titles.

### 2019-current: Internal turmoil, new projects

In 2019, following the release of *Days Gone*, Garvin departed Bend Studio; in December 2022 Garvin would later claim he was fired due to his "disruptive personality". This was followed by Ross's departure from the studio in December 2020. An April 2021 report conducted by Bloomberg claimed that a sequel for *Days Gone* was pitched by Bend but it was rejected; according to Bloomberg, Bend temporarily worked on a new *Uncharted* title and Naughty Dog's multiplayer *The Last of Us* title before shifting to work on a new intellectual property in March 2021. Later that year, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst confirmed that Bend was working on a new property, that will build upon the game systems of *Days Gone*.

According to Ross, following the rejection of a *Days Gone* sequel, the studio explored work on other franchises, including Insomniac's *Resistance* and Bend's own *Syphon Filter* franchise. Ross claimed to have pitched an open-world *Resistance* game, but it was rejected by his superiors, while he had no interest in reviving *Syphon Filter* due to lack of ideas.

In December 2022, Bend Studio distanced itself from Garvin after the former creative director blamed "woke" reviewers for *Days Gone*'s mixed reception. In June 2022, Bend unveiled a new logo, replacing the one it has been using for over two decades; associate art director Shay Casey that the studio searched for a new identity that would be "cutting-edge, abstract, and minimalist".

## Notable personnel

### Current

* Christopher Reese, studio head, former technical director (since 1993)

### Former

* Michael Berlyn, co-founder (1992 - 1998 or 1999)
* Marc Blank, co-founder (1992 - 2004)
* John Garvin, art director, writer and creative director (1997 - 2019)
* Jeff Ross, game designer and game director (2006 - 2019)

## Relationship with other studios

### Guerrilla Games

Bend Studio provided support on Guerrilla Games' 2022 title *Horizon Forbidden West*.

### Insomniac Games

Bend Studio developed 2009's *Resistance: Retribution* for the PlayStation Portable, based on the *Resistance* series of shooters created by Insomniac Games. Insomniac Games aided Bend Studio during the game's initial development progress.

### Naughty Dog

Bend Studio developed 2011's *Uncharted: Golden Abyss* and its spin-off *Uncharted: Fight for Fortune*, both developed for the PlayStation Vita and based on Naughty Dog's *Uncharted* franchise. Naughty Dog acted as an overseer for the project.

### Kojima Productions

Bend Studio had an unspecified support role in the development of Kojima Productions' 2019 *Death Stranding* for the PlayStation 4 and personal computers. Following *Death Stranding*'s release, Bend Studio added downloadable content based on the game into their title, *Days Gone*.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/sponsored-sony-bend-studio---benefits-brews-and-a-really-big-game
2. ↑ https://www.vg247.com/days-gone-brings-hard-times-to-the-ps4
3. ↑ https://kotaku.com/days-gone-drops-out-of-february-s-hell-week-will-relea-1829862102
4. ↑ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/days-gone-review-roundup-heres-what-critics-think/1100-6466489/
5. ↑ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/director-confirms-days-gone-2-was-pitched-but-wont-verify-sony-rejection-report
6. ↑ John Garvin's Twitter
7. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/bend-studio-distances-itself-from-former-director-after-twitter-rant-about-critical-reception
8. ↑ https://www.thegamer.com/days-gone-directors-jeff-ross-john-garvin-leave-bend-studio/
9. ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-09/sony-s-obsession-with-blockbusters-is-stirring-unrest-within-playstation-empire
10. ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2021/06/02/hermen-hulst-qa-whats-next-for-playstation-studios/
11. ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/01/07/bend-studio-pitched-an-open-world-resistance-game-after-days-gone-2-was-rejected
12. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/bend-studio-distances-itself-from-former-director-after-twitter-rant-about-critical-reception
13. ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2022/06/07/a-new-look-for-bend-studios-future-and-a-look-back-at-its-past/

## External links

* Official website
* Twitter account

***Syphon Filter***
*Syphon Filter* - *Syphon Filter 2* - *Syphon Filter 3* - *Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain* - *Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror* - *Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow*

***Other Titles***
*Resistance: Retribution* - *Uncharted: Golden Abyss* - *Days Gone*