Jak & Daxter PS4 PlayStation 4 4
Image: Naughty Dog / Scribble Pad Studios
Jak & Daxter PS4 PlayStation 4 1
Image: Naughty Dog / Scribble Pad Studios

It's no secret that Naughty Dog started work on a new Jak & Daxter game for the PlayStation 3. The developer has spoken openly about this over the years, explaining that it spent a lot of time prototyping new ideas, before eventually opting to create The Last of Us instead. "We were questioning ourselves: were we doing this for marketing reasons and naming something Jak & Daxter when it really isn't Jak & Daxter, or were we really passionate about it?" said Neil Druckmann during a Toronto conference in 2014.

While the game never came to light, though, it's fascinating to see what could have been. And while we've seen some sketches before, concept art outlet Scribble Pad Studios has uploaded some much higher-res drawings showing what Naughty Dog had in mind. We see a much more human-like protagonist, who presumably would have paired with the otter-esque Daxter. The environments still have an element of fantasy to them, of course.

Jak & Daxter PS4 PlayStation 4 2
Image: Naughty Dog / Scribble Pad Studios

The Californian developer's said that it's not opposed to making a new Jak & Daxter in the future, but it would need to find the right story. "Whenever we tried to make a Jak & Daxter story, constrained to what had already been created, those stories were falling flat for us – and the world didn't give us a lot of flexibility," Bruce Straley wrote on Reddit last year. "Which meant that when we finally got to a story that we actually liked, we weren't actually making Jak & Daxter anymore."

With the developer known for its more mature titles these days, we reckon that a return to its more cartoony roots would be considered a bit of a step back. It would be interesting to see how it approached something a little more light-hearted, however, but we reckon that the boat has probably sailed on a Jak & Daxter sequel at this point. Would you like a fourth entry in the platforming property, though? Channel your inner-eco in the comments section below.

Jak & Daxter PS4 PlayStation 4 3
Image: Naughty Dog / Scribble Pad Studios

[source artstation.com]