The PlayStation 4 has just lost one of its biggest 2018 exclusives. Earlier today, eagle-eyed fans noticed that Sony’s website had quietly changed the release date for their anticipated survival game Days Gone to “2019.” Had some intern at Sony just slipped and entered the wrong year? Sadly, not – USGamer reached out to Sony, and they confirmed the date change.

　　“Days Gone will now be releasing in 2019 and we will keep you updated on the launch date."

　　Days Gone slipping to 2019 represents a pretty major setback. The game previously had a 2018 release date attached, and at last year’s E3, SIE Worldwide Studios CEO Shawn Layden indicated Days Gone would arrive in the first half of 2018. In other words, depending on when in 2019 Days Gone comes out, we’re probably looking at about a year to a year-and-a-half delay here. That’s usually not a great sign!

　　So, why the big delay? Sony certainly seemed confident in Days Gone, dedicating large portions of their past two E3 press conferences to the title. The game appeared to be in a fairly advanced state of development the last couple times Sony demoed it, although we’ve only seen a relatively narrow slice of the game. Perhaps Sony has been hiding some serious issues, or the game simply wasn’t as far along as we thought.

　　Developed by SIE Bend Studio (Syphon Filter, Uncharted: Golden Abyss), Days Gone is a post-apocalyptic zombie game featuring a dynamic open world that changes depending on the time of day and weather. Here’s how Sony describes the game’s story and world:

　　“Set in the beautiful, volcanic scarred high-desert of the Pacific Northwest, Days Gone is an open-world action-adventure game where you play as Deacon St. John, a Drifter and bounty hunter who would rather risk the dangers of the broken road than live in one of the “safe” wilderness encampments. The game takes place two years after a global pandemic has killed almost everyone, but transformed millions of others into what survivors call Freakers – mindless, feral creatures, more animal than human but very much alive and quickly evolving. Skills learned in his prior life as an outlaw biker have given Deacon a slight edge in the seemingly never-ending fight to stay alive. But will it be enough?”

　　What are your thoughts on the delay? Are you disappointed you won’t be playing Days Gone in 2018? Or will this year be just fine without another zombie game?