Summary
Naughty Dogalready has more than one “brand new” single-player game in the works. The California-based game studio recently announced that development ofThe Last of Usmultiplayer game has been officially cancelled, citing a desire to focus on single-player experiences rather than allocate resources for indefinitely supporting a live-service title.
While this news disappointed many fans who had been looking forward to experiencing the unique post-apocalyptic world ofThe Last of Uswith their friends, others reacted with excitement. In recent years, it seems many studios with amazing single-player, narrative-based games under their belts have turned to making live-service titles for financial reasons. So receiving confirmation that Naughty Dog will stay focused on rich, single-player stories is encouraging.
However, the announcement was also met with skepticism. In recent years,Naughty Doghas seemed intent on remastering and rereleasing the twoLast of Usgames over and over. But thestatement released by the companystates that there is already “more than one ambitious, brand new single player game that we’re working on here at Naughty Dog.” The words “brand new” imply that the projects currently on the table at the studio are not simply remasters of previously released games.
The Last of Uslaunched on PS3 in 2014 to critical acclaim, and a little over a year later, a remastered version was released for PS4. Then, in 2022, a full remake ofThe Last of Uscame out.The Last of Us Part 2is receiving similar treatment with a PS5 remasterof that game scheduled to release in 2024, just four years after the original game launched. This means that in 10 years, the only other full game released by Naughty Dog has beenUncharted 4: A Thief’s Endin 2016, along with its two standalone expansionsThe Lost LegacyandLegacy of Thieves Collection.
We have more than one ambitious, brand new single player game that we’re working on here at Naughty Dog.
Of course, one of the “brand new” games is likely the highly anticipated third entry inThe Last of Usseries, which has long been rumored to be in development. But fans have also beenclamoring for anotherUnchartedgame, despite Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann stating that the studio is “moving on” from the series.
The developer has two other highly successful franchises to dip into as well:Crash BandicootandJak and Daxter.Granted, Naughty Dog hasn’t been involved in aCrash Bandicootgame since 1999, but a fourth entry in theJak and Daxterfranchise would be very well received. And the announcement of an all-new IP, perhaps therumored Naughty Dog sci-fi game, would undoubtedly be greeted with enthusiasm from fans.
