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- Image from Days Gone Remastered. Courtesy of Bend Studio.

Bend Studio Is Hiring for a New Multiplayer Game Built in Unreal Engine 5

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Mollie Dominy | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 2:59 PM ET

Bend Studio is officially staffing up for its next big project, and no, it’s not Days Gone 2. The Oregon-based PlayStation studio just posted a fresh round of job listings, and they’re all pointing toward one thing: a new multiplayer title built in Unreal Engine 5.

If you were holding out hope for a return to biker zombies and grizzled survivalism, you might want to recalibrate. We aren’t looking at a sequel but a pivot (like that time you narrowly missed the corner to the counter)!

The Job Listings Say “Multiplayer”—But Not Much Else

The studio’s careers page is stacked with roles like Senior Gameplay Programmer, Senior Network Programmer, and Technical Combat Designer. The common thread? Multiplayer systems, online architecture, and combat mechanics. Mildly concerning, as they laid off around 30% of their staff back in June. However, it’s clear Bend is building something systemic and action-heavy, but they’re not saying what kind of game it is.

No genre tags. No concept art. Just a lot of Unreal Engine 5 and a whole lot of “must have experience with live service frameworks.” Which, let’s be honest, is either exciting or exhausting, depending on how many battle passes you’ve survived this year.

Bend’s Last Game Was Days Gone—But That’s Not What This Is

Image from Days Gone Remastered. Courtesy of Bend Studio.

Days Gone launched in 2019 to mixed reviews and a cult following. It was ambitious, messy, and deeply personal. And while fans have been begging for a sequel, Sony’s been clear: it’s not happening. Bend Studio has since shifted focus, and this new project looks like a clean break.

That doesn’t mean they’re abandoning narrative. The listings still mention “cinematic storytelling” and “immersive world-building.” But the emphasis is on systems—combat, networking, scalability. This is a studio building infrastructure, not just vibes.

What This Could Mean for PlayStation’s Multiplayer Strategy

Sony’s been quietly stacking its multiplayer portfolio. Between Fairgame$, Concord, and whatever Marathon ends up being, there’s a clear push toward online-first experiences. Bend’s new project fits that mold. It’s not a prestige single-player title—it’s a potential pillar in Sony’s live service lineup.

Whether that’s a good thing depends on execution. Bend has the chops to build compelling worlds, but multiplayer is a different beast. And with the market already saturated, they’ll need more than just solid netcode to stand out.

Final Thoughts: Bend Is Building Something Big—But It’s Not What You Think

This isn’t Days Gone 2. It’s not a spiritual successor. It’s a new IP, built from the ground up for multiplayer. And while that might disappoint some fans, it also opens the door for Bend to flex in new ways.

They’ve got Unreal Engine 5, a fresh slate, and a mandate to build something scalable. Whether that turns into a genre-defining experience or another live service experiment remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: Bend Studio isn’t just hiring—they’re evolving.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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