After claiming that game piracy was leading to "money out of [his] pocket" and that gamers shouldn't complain about games not getting sequels if they don't buy them at launch for full price, the director of Days Gone has gone on to make another amusing statement. In a response to a fan who was "blown away" by how much he enjoyed Days Gone and confused why it wasn't universally praised, the game's writer and director John Garvin claimed that there were three reasons why the game didn't do well, commercially or critically.

Three reasons:
1. it had tech issues like bugs, streaming and frame rate;
2. it had reviewers who couldn’t be bothered to actually play the game
3. And three, it had woke reviewers who couldn’t handle a gruff white biker looking at his date's ass

He blamed reviewers for either not actually playing his game, or on reviewers for being too woke to understand the story of Days Gone, which consisted of a guy trying to reunite with his wife after a zombie apocalypse. In GBAtemp's own, possibly woke opinion, after not playing the game at all, we found it to have a tired, generic take on a genre that had already been done to death, and that, "Days Gone sits at the cusp between good and bad. It exists as a wholly mediocre game, relying so much on its inspiration that it never feels unique. When compared to Sony's recent first-party successes in the form of Spider-Man and God of War, it only makes Days Gone that much blander".

According to Sony, the game managed to sell 8 million copies total, following its PC port, which led to somewhat of a small cult following, though the game remains at a middling 71 Metacritic score. Days Gone was never greenlit for a sequel, and Garvin left Sony to work for Crystal Dynamics, and is currently assisting in the development of an "NFT-themed game".

when i think cool outlaw biker, i think 'guy who does things he doesn't want to on behalf of people he doesn't like while complaining about it like a moody teenager asked to take the trash out'

— Shaun (shaunvids on bsky) (@shaun_vids) December 7, 2022

He deleted his Tweet and privated his account after gamers and reviewers criticized him for his comment, though the remark is archived, here.

 

[tech3475]

So was this really the best game ever?:

 

[DarthDub]

Well, I mean you need to be awake to make an actual review you know?

 

[sombrerosonic]

Wait..... this was a game? I forgot this even existed

 

[Ettino]

It was a fun game, but it's stupidly long as hell. Just when I thought it finished there're more stuff to do. 3rd act was just go on and on. Cliffhanger ending didn't help either.

 

[The Catboy]

Why did the new Saints Row with its rag tag group of zoomer brown queer protagonists fail?

Cause it was a shit game

 

[CompSciOrBust]

WTF is Days Gone?

 

[genxor]

When someone uses "woke" as any kind of excuse it really shows they're struggling. Easiest thing to say lol. It's not "I guess my idea of a good game wasn't the same as most people. Sorry about that but we tried to make an enjoyable experience". Nah, it's those wokies ruining our Michael Jacksons and and

 

[Xzi]

WTF is Days Gone?

A game that went straight to the bargain bin at launch. Partly because it's thoroughly mediocre, partly because several other games with similar themes released around the same time.

 

[VinsCool]

Imagine getting your mediocre game reviewed (rightfully so) poorly only to be an ass about it and throw the blame on the reviewers, as if they are at fault for it.
It's quite telling about his character to claim 'woke' is the reason it went poorly.
Next he will call out everyone reporting this unprofessional attitude and pretend he is the victim and is being 'canceled', because let's be honest, we all know this type of people always does that as a desperate attempt at damage control.

 

[RAHelllord]

Dude sounds like he brings potato salad with raisins to a bbq and complains about why nobody wants to eat it.

Can't wait until he brings rare chicken breast to the next one and complains about Antifa throwing his food into the trash because of some conspiracy about "salmonella" and the chicken "being too raw for snowflakes to handle".

 

[Hells Malice]

He forgot the 4th reason

4. It was a really shit game


also $10 says Days Gone 2 or some other shit he's involved with gets announced tonight at the Marketing Awards Show. Needed to drum up dat viewer engagement first.

 

[relauby]

@Chary of GBAtemp fame gave this game only a 6.7/10. It's all her fault for her wokeness that the title did not make GotY.

I'm sure that Garvin's next game, a crypto-based MMORPG, isn't going to be a total disaster. He just needs nicer and less woke reviewers who pay full price.

That must be why this woke piece of shit website also gave Breath of the Wild a bad score. Another masterpiece brought down by a scene where the strong white hero checks out a woman's ass.

 

[MikaDubbz]

"1. it had tech issues like bugs, streaming and frame rate;
2. it had reviewers who couldn’t be bothered to actually play the game
3. And three, it had woke reviewers who couldn’t handle a gruff white biker looking at his date's ass"

Pretty sure all that matters in regards to the games sales performance and reputation was issue number 1 there, the rest was never going to matter with a new IP. An unproven game (be it 'woke' or hate-filled or anything in-between) that released as a buggy mess never had a chance of doing well (unless that's the entire point a la Goat Simulator). Granted, Pokemon and Skyrim continue to do well despite being glitch filled messes, but that's because they're already beloved series, so they can release half-assed games and still do very well.

 

[slaphappygamer]

So, in a nutshell, his day has gone. Truly a story sadder than Twilight.

 

[afeufeufeu]

I'm playing the game right now and it runs well and controls well enough to not be bothered by it. It's actually a nice game i'm liking it a lot.

 

[G25900]

I finally got around to playing this game with it being part of PS Plus collection, I was whelmed.

It's just ok and a game I really see no reason to return to, nor do I feel like I'd need more with a sequel.

 

[Necron]

Anyone using the term 'woke' unironically should be bullied.

Also it tells a lot if he's working in a NTF-centric 'game'.

 

[CallmeBerto]

ORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....Days Gone was just ok on a good day.

 

[ChaosEternal]

Holy shit, the polar opposite of those people who blame the public for being bigoted when their products (usually films/TV) fail. Is this Newton's 3rd Law in action?

 

[raging_chaos]

Lol he made his account private. Probably couldn't take the NFT backlash.