Naughty Dog Taking a Slow Approach With New IP May Be For…

Summary

Naughty Dog faces pressure post-The Last of Us 2, with the cancelation of the series' live-service spin-off being a major blow.
Rumors suggest Naughty Dog's next game could be a sci-fi IP, but recent lukewarm sci-fi game releases could be a concern.
Developing its sci-fi game slowly could prevent Naughty Dog's game from being ignored due to potential sci-fi burnout, as the studio could but distance between its project and recent, divisive sci-fi releases.

Naughty Dog is one of the most revered studios in gaming history. It represents some of the best that gaming can offer in the narrative department and rarely falters with its approach to pacing, tone, and character development. Though some may prefer the offerings of developers who are more committed to nonlinearity, the sky-high reputation of Sony's first party was built on the foundations that the California-based outfit forged with the likes of Jak and Daxter and Uncharted.

Despite its stellar reputation, the last couple of years have obviously been a challenge for Naughty Dog. Since the launch of The Last of Us Part 2, the pressure has been high, and the cancelation of the franchise's live service project was a major blow. In the wake of The Last of Us Online's death, rumors have been rife regarding what's coming next, with a new IP that boasts a sci-fi setting often brought up by insiders. Assuming this rumor is accurate, a slower, less urgent development cycle could be a decent course of action for Naughty Dog.

HBO's The Last of Us May Make TLoU 2's Biggest Moment Even More Controversial

As a recent sneak peek of The Last of Us season 2 emerged ahead of its early 2025 premiere, there's concern that the HBO series might repeat the same divisive storytelling approach from the game. The show's potential focus on Abby's perspective, similar to the game, could lead to further controversy. Given the show's wider reach, handling this dual narrative will be challenging, especially as many viewers may find it difficult to sympathize with Abby after what she did to Joel.

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By LB Beistad

The Sci-Fi Rumors for Naughty Dog's Next Game Could Be a Problem in 2024

Nothing has been announced regarding Naughty Dog's next project, but a new IP has been on the cards for a while. Naturally, for a studio as big as Naughty Dog, rumors will always be circulating about what it will do next, and recent rumblings have suggested that its new product will be set in the realm of sci-fi. It's a genre that Naughty Dog hasn't really ventured into for decades, but feels like a match made in heaven, as the developer's signature storytelling could suit sci-fi very well.

However, the current state of gaming's sci-fi genre is something Naughty Dog has to consider. Between the likes of Starfield, Concord, and Star Wars: Outlaws' lukewarm response, as well as Bungie's recent woes, sci-fi has had a tough few months in the medium of videog ames. As such, it could be a wise choice for Naughty Dog to lie low for a while, putting some distance between its new project and these divisive sci-fi releases.

Santa Monica is also rumored to be working on a sci-fi game, so Sony making sure that two of its big first-party releases do not come close together will also be necessary.

Sci-Fi Has Been Dominant, but Disappointing in Recent Times

Science fiction is a genre that grants endless possibilities, allowing creators to be truly ambitious without staunch limits to consider. On paper, the genre fits every medium and can be taken in a variety of interesting directions. Recently, though, it's felt like new sci-fi properties or even entries in existing franchises have been met with lukewarm responses. Star Wars is in a perpetual cycle of forgettable offerings, be it The Acolyte on Disney+, or to some extent Star Wars: Outlaws. Plus, new names like Netflix' Atlas and Bethesda's Starfield have failed to have a major cultural impact. Naughty Dog surely wants to avoid contributing to the recent blandness that's plaguing the genre, so taking more time to develop the game could be the ideal strategy.

To some, the tenure of the PlayStation 5 has been underwhelming, thanks in large part to the absence of first party titles in recent months. The follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima is nowhere to be seen, Horizon's threequel has yet to be announced, and Bend Studio has been quiet since the release of Days Gone. Following a smattering of controversial remakes and the cancelation of its big Last of Us multiplayer game, Naughty Dog has had its fair share of negative headlines as of late, so making sure its sci-fi project isn't caught up in the negativity that has surrounded other entries in the genre should be a priority.

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