In Astro Bot, the V.I.P. Bot "Brave Biker" is based on Deacon St. John, the main protagonist of Days Gone. While the game's developer Bend Studio praised the cameo, the game's writer and co-director John Garvin did not. He claimed that the character had been "reduced to promoting other games" and sarcastically remarked about how Bend Studio was "protecting its legacy", starting a back-and-forth argument with fans on Twitter. This negative response stemmed from complaints and tensions with Bend Studio and its workplace culture that Garvin tweeted about in a rant in 2022, two years after departing from the studio. He blamed Days Gone's mixed-to-average reception on bugs, critics who didn't even play the game, and "woke reviewers" who did, prompting Bend Studio to release a statement distancing themselves from him and his views.