Naughty Dog Directors Talk About a Future Beyond The Last of Us 2 and Uncharted
Naughty Dog is well on their way to releasing Uncharted: The Lost Legacy with just two weeks away from its debut and news of The Last of Us 2 will be the next big project in the studio’s queue. In fact, it is likely that the game has already been in development as they prepared the latest Uncharted title. However, it seems as though collective minds have already been thinking beyond their current IPs (Intellectual Property). In a recent interview, Naughty Dog directors Shaun Escayg and Arne Meyer discuss future plans for the developing studio beyond these two series.
Just as they are doing with The Lost Legacy, proving that their ideas span beyond Nathan Drake, stepping away from the Uncharted franchise may be a move they’re willing to make if they have to. In fact, Meyer elaborates on this a bit more:
Traditionally, we approach every game as a separate project and even with Drake it was always if there’s another story to tell we’ll tell it, but only if it feels right and satisfying, and I think this holds here too with The Lost Legacy. In the future, if it looks like there’s something that really excites us, great, but we’re perfectly happy to step away from it.”
Even so, both remain relatively quiet on any ideas that may be in store. Whether or not new IPs are in the woodwork or ideas are just starting to flesh out all remains a mystery for the most part. Though Escayg’s body language may hint toward a positive and new direction, both Naughty Dog directors were especially ambivalent and tight-lipped about the future. “The entire studio is like that, everyone wants to try something new,” said Escayg. “There are so many new ideas, it’s the culture at Naughty Dog, we love ideas. The studio right now is just teeming with new content and new ideas building up new worlds, new genres. it’s a constant melting pot of new ideas.”
In other words, people are itching to do something fresh. With that being said, Meyer offers a more official response to quell any fervor. After all, the sequel to The Last of Us is still in development.
So, we can pretty much say the whole studio will be focused on The Last of Us Part Two once this is over. At some point, parts of the team that will try to figure out what’s next and how that goes when The Last of Us Part Two is full production. We’ll see if there are potential resources to spare which can go into that discovery period, but it’s hard to tell now. A lot of people went straight from The Last of Us, straight into Uncharted 4, straight into Lost Legacy and those guys need a vacation.”
So, gamers, some waiting may need to happen before news of a new IP or project comes around, but it will happen eventually. If the Naughty Dog directors could hear your ideas, what are your thoughts and hopes for the future of the studio? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below or start your own conversation on Don’t Feed the Gamers official Facebook page. To stay up to date on gaming news as they happen, follow us on Twitter! Here are some of our latest:
Hoi Duong2131 Posts
Hoi is an elusive figure at DFTG, whose favorite past-times include chillin' in the Fade, reading manga, watching anime, collecting novelty items, and gaming.
