Naughty Dog Boss Teases Multiple Game Announcements
Up there with the likes of Bethesda and Rockstar, few video game developers have the legacy of Naughty Dog. Known as the house that brought us Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted, and The Last of Us, Naughty Dog rightly has the legacy of releasing some of the best-selling video games of all time. This means that when its boss teases big news, our ears should all be pricked. More than just the idea of something new, Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann has teased "several cool things" could be just around the corner.
Looking back at Naughty Dog's back catalogue, it's almost unrivalled. Following early success with Crash, it also made a name for itself with the equally adorable Jak and Dexter. Naughty Dog then moved onto both Uncharted and The Last of Us for more grounded affairs. Crash has been handed over to Toys for Bob, Jak is dormant, Uncharted seemingly rounded off its story with A Thief's End, and The Last of Part II could easily finish Ellie's story or chart a new adventure. With so many fan favourites that could get a new lease of life, it's safe to say Druckmann's tease has everyone interested.
What are the Naughty Dog game announcements?
Posting on Twitter, Druckmann shared a gif of Old Woman Kate saying "It's been 84 years" in Titanic. He told players that while he can't reveal any future projects yet, "We have several cool things we can’t wait to share with you". When given a timeframe on when that could be, Druckann added, "As soon as we can, we will". Despite giving nothing away, Druckmann's tease sent the internet into overdrive. Jak 4, The Last of Us Part III, Uncharted 5, who knows?
Looking at the facts, a job listing last year confirmed Naughty Dog was hiring a Level/Environment Designer for a single-player title. With nothing on the horizon yet, it was clearly for a new project. Elsewhere, there's been leaked footage of The Last of Us Part II's Factions multiplayer, which was supposed to launch alongside the main game last year but spun off into its own standalone. It didn't take long for the replies section of Druckmann's tweet to explode with fanciful fan theories about what Naughty Dog is working on.
As Druckmann shared a gif of the winking Agatha Harkness from WandaVision to get in on the latest pop culture trend, even God of War's Cory Barlog waded into the situation to congratulate Druckmann on his next-level trolling. Not since Kathryn Hahn's nosey neighbour's true intentions were revealed have we been this impressed by trickery. But just what is Naughty Dog planning?
What could the Naughty Dog game announcements be?
Airing on the side of caution, we're guessing at least one of the announcements will be about something within the world of Uncharted. We just hope it isn't another next-gen port (yawn). Although the series came to a close chronologically with A Thief's End in 2016, the idea of continuing the story beyond the release of 2017's Uncharted: The Lost Legacy has been doing the rounds for years.
Speaking to Red Bull, (via PlayStation Lifestyle) Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Creative Director Shaun Escayg previously said: "We have no immediate plans [for another Uncharted game]. But if there’s anything this game proves that this world is beyond Nathan Drake, there’s other cast, other characters – you’ve got quite a vast amount of cast to pull from in the future if you so wanted".
Writer Josh Scherr has also downplayed the idea of a fifth game when he said that efforts after Lost Legacy were being shifted to The Last of Us Part II. However, he admitted there could be life beyond Nathan Drake as he explained, "We’re drawing from the idea of this whole world out there of rogues and thieves and treasure hunters and all these things they do with and against each other. Potentially we could spin this off". For many, the idea of revisiting Uncharted seems like the most logical and viable solution. The timing also couldn't be better, considering there's the much-hyped and long-awaited movie with Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.
Elsewhere, there could be some sort of announcement tied to the upcoming release of the Pedro Pascal-led The Last of Us series, or those rumours The Last of Us Part II will get a PS5 patch. Let's also remember we could be completely off-track and this could be the dawn of a new era with a wholly unique IP. It's about time we saw something new from the gaming powerhouse. Thankfully, with Druckman's tease of "several" cool things, it sounds like the Naughty Dog game announcements could have a bit of something for everyone.
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