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<\/figure>\n We\u2019re talking about Days Gone<\/em> again, three years after the open-world zombie survival game came out. You may recall the one-time PlayStation-exclusive received a middling reception and saw apparently disappointing sales<\/span>. The reason? Well, according to writer and game director John Garvin\u2019s response to a fan on Twitter, \u201cwoke reviewers [couldn\u2019t] handle a gruff white biker looking at his date\u2019s ass.\u201d<\/p>\n Days Gone<\/em> is Sony Bend Studio\u2019s first real foray into the open-world genre, and came out in April 2019. Following the former outlaw-turned-grifter Deacon St. John<\/span> as he traversed a post-apocalyptic and zombie-littered Oregon, the game landed to a mid critical reception. It received a score of 71 on Metacritic<\/span> and 72 on OpenCritic<\/span>, with most reviewers panning the game for its dull world, frustrating exploration, and bland storytelling. In Kotaku<\/em>\u2019s review<\/span>, former staff writer Joshua Rivera said Days Gone<\/em> \u201cfail[ed] to offer anything new in favor of blending formlessly into arguments made by 10 years of The Walking Dead<\/em> and countless post-apocalyptic games of its ilk.\u201d In other words, Days Gone<\/em> was a wholly unoriginal, if occasionally enjoyable, experience.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/strong> Days Gone <\/em>Was A \u2018Disappointment\u2019 To Sony Despite Selling Millions, Director Says [Update]<\/span><\/p>\n The game sold approximately eight million copies between its initial PlayStation 4 launch three years ago and its PC port<\/span> that dropped in May 2021. Eight million is a massive figure to celebrate, but considering Sucker Punch Productions\u2019 open-world Kurosawa-like Ghost of Tsushima<\/em> sold the same amount in less than two years\u2019 time, upper management within Bend Studio, including former director Jeff Ross, declared Days Gone<\/em> a \u201cdisappointment.\u201d<\/span>.<\/p>\n Now Garvin has shared some theories of his own as to why critics found Days Gone<\/em> was something of a disappointment (h\/t VGC<\/em><\/span>). In a since-deleted tweet (archived here<\/a><\/span>), Garvin gave a fan three reasons why he thinks the game performed so poorly:<\/p>\n Three reasons: <\/p>\n 1. it had tech issues like bugs, streaming and frame rate; G\/O Media may get a commission<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n If you\u2019ve played Days Gone<\/em>, you probably know the scene Garvin is referring to. But for the uninitiated, there\u2019s an early flashback sequence<\/span> in which Deacon and his date Sarah Whitaker (who later becomes his wife) explore Oregon, walking a trail, taking in the sights. Sarah stops to \u201cshow [Deacon] what [he\u2019s] looking for\u201d and bends over. Deacon steps back and says, \u201cYep, found it,\u201d and the camera pulls back to show him ogling her. While this sexually-charged moment between the two characters was a point of contention for some critics, it\u2019s hardly one of the main reasons why the game didn\u2019t score better than it did.<\/p>\n Kotaku<\/em> reached out to Sony and Garvin for comment.<\/p>\n Other folks on Twitter were quick to dispute Garvin\u2019s assertions.<\/p>\n \u201cClaiming the protag of \u2018Days Gone<\/em>\u2019 was just too much of a badass for all those woke reviewers is very silly,\u201d tweeted one<\/a><\/span>. \u201cWe\u2019re told Deacon is a gruff badass biker, but in actuality he is dull, docile & does whatever he\u2019s told by those in authority. His agency is limited to whining to himself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
2. it had reviewers who couldn\u2019t be bothered to actually play the game
3. And three, it had woke reviewers who couldn\u2019t handle a gruff white biker looking at his date\u2019s ass<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n