Naughty Dog is currently beavering away at a standalone multiplayer game set within The Last of Us' universe. It's expected to be an expanded take on Factions, but details are few and far between. Still, the team doubling down on a purely multiplayer experience is something new for the developer, which has made a name for itself on narrative-driven single player titles.
If you had any concerns about the Sony-owned studio changing its tune, don't fret; Naughty Dog's brand of single player action is set to continue. In an interview with Game Informer, Evan Wells and Neil Druckmann, co-presidents of the studio, were asked whether the developer will keep making games like Uncharted and The Last of Us in the future.
"Absolutely," says Wells, explaining that it's "sort of in our DNA to tell these stories". He continues: "Single-player experiences are near and dear to us. It’s what has attracted a lot of people to Naughty Dog, and that’s what inspires them, so I think we’re going to keep at it as long as we can."
Druckmann adds that their current work on a multiplayer game didn't come from any pressure higher up. "And again, going back to who Sony is, there has never been a mandate like, 'Oh, this is where we see the winds shifting. Can you start making these kind of games instead?' We know just as they know that when you work on something you’re excited by, something you’re passionate by, you’re going to do great work."
Asked whether Naughty Dog will create new IP or continue old ones, Wells says they'll look at both possibilities. "I think there’s excitement to develop new IP, but there is still a ton of love for Uncharted and The Last of Us, and I think you’ll see both kinds of projects from us in the future."
So, there you go. We can expect the team to explore more single player experiences in the years to come. In the meantime, let's hope that Last of Us multiplayer title isn't too far off.
[source gameinformer.com, via playstationlifestyle.net]
Comments (46)
So when is that Savage Starlight sci-fi game coming?
In other news, Martin Scorsese will still make movies.
its all well n gud untill NielDruckman pushes his political agenders in the game cough Abby cough...
That's exciting as i thought ND were done with Uncharted. Maybe it was just Drake?
@pimpjuice oh noes. Not the political agenda!!1
@naruball I think you mean ‘agenders’. Not often we have a right wing pirate on this site. Arrrr, there be politics in me video games
@nessisonett
My thoughts exactly. Was anyone actually worried about this?
There is no way every single multiplayer experience will be immensely profitable. So it will be smarter to keep up single player games. This obsession from many executives in the industry with capturing the success of other multiplayer experiences is going to cause a lot of development teams to go under. There's way more space for single player games to make a profit than there is for multiplayer.
@pimpjuice genuine question: have you played The Last Of Us Part 2?
All hail single player games. @pimpjuice what political agenda? I played the game and couldn't tell you what it is.
"Asked whether Naughty Dog will create new IP or continue old ones, Wells says they'll look at both possibilities"
Please go with the first option 🤞 ND is one of Sony's most talented studios but they are starting to be talked about as a one trick pony, how amazing would a true fps horror game by them be!?
Yah, read this the other day. Would really like a new IP from them in the open world setting and perhaps fantasy based. Savage Starlight or ND style WRPG would be a welcome addition to WWS.
@Octane This x 100!!!
There was a dip in quality story-wise in The Last of Us 2. The story felt less satisfying and more reliant on shock value, but I hope they can bounce back from that.
The last of us 2 director's cut first though, of course!
@pimpjuice You should get that cough checked out, it could be covid.
@pimpjuice Abby is a pumped up killing machine and i love her!
To all those mocking @pimpjuice, the game certainly had an agenda. Whether that makes it good or bad is up to each persons opinion.
Que a brooding Jak reboot edgier than Jak II where dark eco is a plague and you have to choke out Daxter in a slow QTE to stop him from going rampant. And because he won't ever shut up.
@MightyDemon82 Yeah I'll be interested in hearing about their 'agenda' as well other than women can have muscles too and lesbians have a place in AAA gaming, other than just providing titillation for horny teenagers.
@Juanalf Erm how about no.
I hark back to the days when the heros of the games we play could be unashamedly "macho" and unpolitically correct...but alas we live in a world now where everybody has to mind their p's and q's for fear of being branded racist,homophobic etc...please naughty dog make your next character alf garnet...please..
Maybe Naughty Dog will figure out how to make a single player narrative game instead of an interactive film, which is all they've been making since Jak 2, which still had more gameplay than their post-Jak games, by making a multiplayer game.
Not an online game fan, generally, but not really a Naughty Dog fan either.
@NEStalgia i could have sworn the uncharted games and the last of us games were all single player,narative driven games with multiplayer modes that were a seperate entity from the main game like the call of duty franchise and gta...
@Northern_munkey Don't mate, that joker hasn't got a clue. All games would be platformers if it was up to him.
🤦
@Northern_munkey I'm not fussed about the multiplayer modes, and TBH I don't even remember an Uncharted multiplayer mode other than the co-op. I was just hoping they'd learn to lean into gameplay more than being an on-rails interactive movie company from the experience of having made a big online game. Because truly their gameplay is the least developed part of their games.
@Col_McCafferty No, I just really, really dislike Naughty Dog and their formula. Well, not even their formula, couldn't stand Crash 1 either. I liked Jak 1, I "like" but was disappointed by Jak 2 and that marked the beginning of their "guided narrative over gameplay " design. And while I do enjoy Uncharted to a degree, I wouldn't rate it as excellence in gameplay. A fun romp though, once, sure. Just not a fan of ND's design approach, for a long time, and pre-dating them being Sony-owned.
The only worry is they don’t seem eager to move on to a new IP with an enjoyable story.
I hope they do.
@NEStalgia Your loss, stick to kids games. More your bag!
Removed - unconstructive
@NEStalgia i think we will have to agree to disagree on this one....
@Col_McCafferty Yeah, I should learn to like Crash and Jak 2, games for mature adults. Who needs the Yakuza and Judgement series.....darn baby games.
Seriously, is the insult necessary for the opinion of not liking the design of a particular studio? Especially when it's not that uncommon an opinion despite said studio having a very loyal fanbase?
@NEStalgia All you do is slag off Sony and on other sites PushSquare and the so-called PushSquare community. Not someone to take seriously not your opinions on what does or doesn't constitute a 'real' game.
I got my work cut out for me in the meantime while we wait for what's next. Just started the first Last of Us as a total newbie, then the Nathan Drake Collection is raring to go afterwards! Very excited to sink my teeth into both of them.
@Col_McCafferty and you got sucked in..best to just let it go bud...just let it go...
@Col_McCafferty You're kind of embodying the very spirit of the "so-called PushSquare community" I "slag off on" right now. That whole combative defense of the company mentality is the very thing I criticize. It's certainly not everyone here, or even the majority of PS fans, but it's a very loud, visible, and universally inescapable minority that makes its presence known moreso than in the other two communities currently. If you want to be a part of that group, well, there we are. There's plenty of threads I agree with your opinions on, though you tend to make it difficult to want to communicate that.
I play all 3 platforms. I comment on all 3 platform sites. I complain about practices or dislikes about all 3 platforms, though MS has been the most inline with what I'm looking for recently, of the 3, so they're getting a disproportionate amount of praise and lack of admonishment currently. 5 years ago it was opposite and they were the punchline of any joke.
Yes, I'm not presently happy with Sony's policies and directions right now. Because they're largely flipping off their existing fans, which includes myself. Yes, I'm not a Naughty Dog fan, as I said, that goes back to before they had anything to do with Sony. Neither are terribly unpopular opinions. Even on this site. Even among the editorial writings on this site.
I'm just grateful that in the PS5 era the PS community has chilled out from some of it's worst PS4 era toxicity. It's got a long way to go to get back to the zen-like PS3 era though.
Really hope they're doing a new IP. I have close to zero interest in another Last of Us sequel or remake.
One and done story driven game is great once in a while. But I had more fun playing multiplayer games with my friends and colleagues than playing cinematic games alone by myself. I think it's great that Sony is trying to incorporate multiplayer modes on their single player games.
@BrainHacker There are plenty of multiplayer titles out there for people with short attention spans, Sony excel at single player games and that's what their world class studios ought to concentrate on.
I imagine a world where the likes of Santa Monica and Sucker Punch concentrate on MP titles only and shudder. Online MP has killed Rockstar's ambition and now all they're focused on is MTs, which I thought were the bane of all gamers everywhere.
I hope ND and others don't go down the route, it would kill my interest in gaming.
@NEStalgia I know we all got opinions but there's lies in this your opinion though, with regards to ND's gameplay. TLOU2 takes combat realism and satisfaction to another level. I mean that part fighting David in TLOU1 was nothing I'd seen in a long time. The part where you battle sniper Tommy in PT2 is as epic as the battle with The End in MGS3SE. Melee combat in both Uncharted and TLOU are highly satisfying. I mean there's nothing like just "movie interaction" like you're suggesting when people tried to escape the dreaded underground- generator-keycard level in TLOU. Do you even play their games on Crushing or Grounded? Requires incredible skill, no simple interactivity. Someone could also say most FPSs are just so simplistic you could beat them with just the left stick and R2. So yeah we all have our tastes but you need to be called out when you're lying or exaggerating.
@Col_McCafferty Damn, you really believe that your taste in gaming is superior than everyone else just because you play story driven games. There is no reason for anyone to hate multiplayer games unless you're totally socially inept or socially awkward to play with other people.
Can you give a list of multiplayer games especially made for people with short attention span? I mean, when you play multiplayer games, you're actively competing with other people. While you can hit pause anytime, when you're playing single player games. It makes you wonder who has the shorter attention span like someone superior would assume lol
@1_W1NG3D_4NG3L Right. We play games because we enjoy it. it doesn't matter what type of game it is. No one can dictate any gamer what's fun for them or not.
If they do more TLoU after the multiplayer one I guess I'll be there for it. Haven't played Uncharted yet so can't really say anything on that regard.
After TLOU2, this is a real shame. I won't be playing them though
@BrainHacker If you think @Col_McCafferty believes his taste is superior than everyone else then you could say the same for @NEStalgia who's outright lying saying something like this "Maybe Naughty Dog will figure out how to make a single player narrative game instead of an interactive film, which is all they've been making since Jak 2, which still had more gameplay than their post-Jak games" all in the name of OPINION. I guess you wanna see Drake running over little collectible coins making little jingle sounds hopping from cliff to another before you'd call it a game...
And by short attention span he means gamers who don't have the patience for slow immersive interactive games and want everything fast fast fast pow pow pow boom boom fast travel to the end skip all dialogue, random events, activities and come back here and talk about how they couldn't get into a game.
@1_W1NG3D_4NG3L @Omnistalgic @Octane Savage Starlight game would be EPIC, please make it happen Naughty Dog!
@TheArt Nah. I don't have the right to tell @NEStalgia what he thinks is a great story driven game because that is his opinion. Besides, his opinion is about Naughty Dog and not directed towards people who enjoys multiplayer games.
I have played numerous story driven games with 40-60 hour of gameplay. But do I need to like every single narrative driven game? Absolutely freaking not. I actually agree with @NEStalgia about Uncharted. I like the Uncharted series for it's storyline and characters but I wouldn't say the same thing about it's gameplay. I mean did you play it for the gameplay or for the story? because I'm sure as hell didn't play it for the gameplay.
Did you really think that it doesn't take time and patience to be good at multiplayer games? It's actually more frustrating than playing single player games. In single player games, you can learn the A.I's pattern of the attack because their movement is pre-determined while you cannot say the same thing with multiplayer games. And are we really going to brag about how much time we spend watching every cutscenes and dialogue? Is that something colleges use to measure how smart you are these days? lol
Good to hear. I’ve heard good things about factions but online mp isn’t really my thing so I am eagerly awaiting naughty dogs next single player story game.
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