Could Bend Studio's Days Gone have been delayed due to Sony's incredible PlayStation 4 line-up? It's a possibility.

Earlier this month Sony confirmed that it’d delayed Days Gone, Bend Studio’s open-world zombie-biker game, until 2019. But the question remains: why has it been delayed?

Set in the Pacific Northwest, Days Gone invites players to step into the shoes of former outlaw biker Deacon St. John amidst a zombie pandemic which has ravaged the world and turned the population into degenerate human monsters known only as Freakers. Imagine The Walking Dead mixed with Sons of Anarchy.

The PlayStation 4 exclusive, which made its debut during Sony’s E3 presser back in 2017, was tentatively scheduled for release in 2018. That’s quite a window, but it seemed like a sure thing when Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Interactive Worldwide Studios, confirmed the game was playable from start to finish – indicating that the game had entered the final stages of the development phase. After all, Days Gone has been in development since 2015.

It’s since taken a turn, and despite the dribs and drabs of information, along with the rather vague release window (yes, twelveth months is vague, to say the least), surely everyone’s wondering why Sony chose to push the game back?

Well, Sony’s keeping mum on the matter. The entertainment behemoth has chosen not to comment, instead simply confirming the announcement as fact. But what could be the reason for such a monumental shift in the schedule? Why would Sony choose to push back a potential blockbuster release – and another exclusive in the PS4’s ever-growing back catalog?

Perhaps the reason for the delay is Sony’s forthcoming release line-up itself? This is speculation, of course, but with heavy-hitters from God of War to Detroit: Become Human and Yakuza 6 to Spider-Man on the way, has Sony decided to hold off on unleashing the pandemic upon the world to ensure that the 2019 release schedule stacks up? It’s possible.

Why do you think Sony made the call to delay Days Gone? Could it still be heavily under development or was the schedule already packed? Let us know in the comments below.