[UPDATE] The Naughty Dog co-president has now publicly revealed that his answer was quite different from the one published on Sony's website. For example, he never really said the studio's next project would 'redefine the perception of gaming in the mainstream.'
Here's what he actually said about it:
So, I'm not only excited for this game that we're making -- and it's, it's something really fresh for us -- but I'm also excited to see how the world reacts to it. Because of The Last of Us, and the success of the show, people even outside of gaming are looking at us to see what it is that we put out next. I'm very excited to see what the reaction for this thing will be — and I've already said too much about it. I'll stop there.
[ORIGINAL STORY] Naughty Dog might have hit a snag with The Last of Us Online, which was officially canceled in December 2023 after being labeled the most ambitious project the studio had ever conceived.
Naughty Dog chose to stick with its highly successful formula of making narrative-driven single-player games rather than invest a great deal of the studio's resources for many years in the continued development and support of a live-service game.
Despite this failed endeavor, the studio's millions of fans are still very much looking forward to the next project. Today, Naughty Dog co-president and head of creative Neil Druckmann talked a bit about it in an interview published on Sony's website. Druckmann called it the most thrilling project he has worked on yet and teased it may redefine the mainstream's perception of gaming.
I've been lucky to work on several dream projects and am currently excited about a new one, which is perhaps the most thrilling yet. There's a growing appreciation for gaming that transcends all age groups, unlike when I was growing up. This shift is highlighted by our venture into television with The Last of Us, which I hoped would bridge the gap between gamers and non-gamers. The show's success has spotlighted gaming, illustrating the rich, immersive experiences it offers. This visibility excites me not only for our current project but for the broader potential of gaming to captivate a global audience. I'm eager to see how this new game resonates, especially following the success of The Last of Us, as it could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming.
His statement is as intriguing as it is vague. Is he referring to an even bigger focus on cinematic flair and narrative-driven gameplay? Be that as it may, it's probably still going to be a while before we learn anything concrete about Naughty Dog's new game, even though it's been four years already since The Last of Us Part II. Until an official reveal comes, we'll have to stick with such cryptic teases.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
