Days Gone director is upset his leading man has been “reduced to a cartoon shill”

Director John Garvin says it’s “kinda sad” that the leading man of his Days Gone game has been “reduced to a cartoon shill” by an image posted by his former studio, Bend.

The picture – released to mark fellow Sony studio Team Asobi’s hugely successful Astro Bot launch – shows a Bot dressed in Deacon’s garb reclining on a beach.

Garvin said, “[Deacon] has been reduced to promoting other games”, adding: “Well done Bend Studio! Way to protect your legacy!”

When someone in his comments suggested that he “calm down my brotha”, Garvin said: “Haha, I see my character reduced to a cartoon schill [sic] promoting some small game and I’m being harsh? Sit down, my brotha, adults are talking”.

“I don’t know Astrobot and wish them well, but not at the expense of Days Gone,” Garvin added later.

The response of Deek’s voice actor, Sam Witwer, however, was less critical: “Gonna buy the game now”.

We all already know Astro Bot has a lot of bots, but what bots has Astro Bot not got?

Eurogamer just awarded Astro Bot a sparkling five out of five stars.

“When it’s all done I’m left with that strange feeling of being very well cared for. I’ve seen a bunch of wild sights. I’ve messed around with cool gadgets, used the controller in unusual ways, tilting it, yes, but also blowing into it, trying to read the buried hieroglyphs of its rumble, I’ve ticked boxes, collected things, unlocked things, nodded at references that make me feel old, or sharp-eyed, or generally in the know,” Donlan wrote.

“But when I close my eyes, I see the tumbling fruit, the hundreds and thousands, the gems stacked so high I can kick through them as if I’m wading through autumn leaves. I think, more than anything, of all the glorious bits and pieces.”

Digital Foundry, meanwhile, called Astro Bot a “virtually flawless and a joyous celebration of gaming”.