The evolution of Naughty Dog as a studio is brutal: they made the same RPGs for the Mega Drive and (very bad) clones of Mortal Kombat for 3DO, which took iconic characters like Crash Bandicoot out of their hats and made them jump or star in games. of Karts. Then they joined the PlayStation family and came Jak & Daxter, Nathan Drake, Chloe Frazer… However, for almost a decade they have become the studio for The Last of Us. AND Neil Druckmann You know that's not necessarily a good thing.
Go ahead that The Last of Us It is one of the flagships of PlayStation Studios and its expansion plans as a brand, but it is still a saga that for all intents and purposes is only made up of two games. Of course, there were going to be three: the recently canceled The Last of Us Online was going to expand the saga into major multiplayer. The problem? Despite their career, Naughty Dog did not have enough experience and they knew that if they did so they would become a dedicated studio. exclusively to keep a single game active. Despite that, they are currently dedicating themselves to a single franchise.
In fact, if we look closely, the first The Last of Us It received a remaster on PS4, a remake on PS5 and then on PC and was even adapted to television. And although the sequel was a technical leap in quality, it also received its own remastering. Seeing the history of the studio, and after updating the latest installments of the Uncharted saga, it is understood that the next step is to launch The Last of Us Part II on PC; And that brings us to the big question: When is Naughty Dog going to turn the page?
In an interview for the Los Angeles Times, the Israeli developer shed some light on what the studio based in California has in store, and although he does not rule out that we see more about that bitter apocalypse (given that he has found a new story what to tell) the truth is that he is fully aware of the situation. Furthermore, they assure that There are several projects underway.
“I promise you, we won't be 'The Last of Us' studio forever. There are several games in development, including multiple single-player projects.”
“We create experiences full of story and characters, especially relationships. Stories have a kind of philosophical core around which everything will revolve and feed.
The experiment of taking Naughty Dog towards multiplayer productions did not go as expected and the studio retreated towards what they do best: experiences with a strong narrative component capable of generating an impact on the player. However, I would be lying to you if I didn't tell you that many of us would simply be happy with a new Jak & Daxter. The good news is that, if you think about it, there is an Astro Bot on the horizon.
Closing oneself to a single saga is neither positive nor negative, but it is clear that in times of great change, especially in relation to PlayStation Studios, it is a safe bet. That there is more than one franchise in the oven is good newsbut we return to square one: we do not know when we will be able to play them or if, in the process, they will suffer the same fate as The Last of Us Online. We wish not. And if development started not too long ago, we are not sure that they will be played on PS5 either. What is clear is that whatever it is will be steeped in Druckmann's vision.
That said, and despite the fact that Neil Druckmann continues to foster mystery regarding his next project (even indirectly), the next thing we will see of him has been announced for more than a year: during these months he has been working on the second season of The Last of US for HBO Max. Or a live-action remake of the sequel, if you prefer. In any case The saga has a long life left.
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