Neil Druckmann Claims Comments of Next Naughty Dog Game 'Redefining' the Mainstream View of Gaming Was a Sony Misquote

Honestly, it’s pretty shady of Sony to mince words. Nobody needs to convince others to play or watch Neil’s stuff

The real question is if whether The Last Of Us Part 3 / Finale releases before the end of this generation.

Not that big of a deal.
Even if he would have said it like that, noone would care because it's pr blabla anyway. Every new project by someone is the biggest, best, most innovative etc.

Plus, that's what "the media" does daily?
Stephen Totilo's comment was hilarious "Stick to doing interviews with journalists"
Not sure if he was serious

Unfortunately it still won’t stop people from unfairly jumping all over this guy, gaming related or otherwise.

Kudos to him for calling Sony liers.

@Jimmer-jammer i know right? what's with all the personal hatred he gets? I get that many are not happy with Part II story, but to personally target him like that is overkill.

The media and those ( in this case Sony) who they collaborate with for news stories are all a bunch of liars, shocking.

It's stunning just how much more interesting the actual exchange is. Corporate PR totally dumbs it down to the point that it sounds sterile, robotic, and throwaway. So much so that it's not even worth reading. The real answer, while longer, brings in more context and actually says something.

Who cares what he said? The guys a pretentious hack imo

i think he should find something else to do , like someone else said he’s a hack 👎

This is pretty much what I assumed he meant in the original statement, anyway. People latch onto one sentence and make controversy out of rambling stream of consciousness statements. It’s silly.

Sounds like the Sony equivalent of saying this will be a "AAAA" game.

@JokerBoy422 Perfect user name.

Sorta sucks that his original statement was lost but it was rather rambling which is hard to digest for many. So I see why Sony tried to paraphrase but they should have said that was what they are doing.

@NeonTiger it's because he writes and makes great games with great stories, but all because a certain someone got killed or someone turned out gay there are a lot of people who started hating on him.

Eh, even though I've had huge problems with TLOU2, they're technically sound and the misquote is true.

They DO redefine the industry every time they release something. Their games have always been groundbreaking

Anyone who's been interviewed by a journalist etc. knows this is par for the course when the edited version comes out. They always put words in your mouth!

Bruce Straley was the brains behind last of us 1, which was great. Druckmann was responsible for part 2 which is why the story sucked. The team at ND are outstanding and probably no.1 at what they do but Druckmann is just a hack riding on the coat tails of others. (Not forgetting Amy who was the brains behind uncharted)

@Mikey856
Or you know, praise/ advertise their own studio lol?
Everything comes down to marketing, yes

More drama in the video game industry...

First Sony PR f***a up days gone, now they put words in their best creative's mouth .

@UltimateOtaku91 If there are plenty of stories in which main characters die but are still loved, you reckon there could be more to why TLOU2 is hated, like awful writing?

I always assumed he was talking about the show...

As in, the show might change how non-gamers see games.

Alot of people still think gaming is either Mario or COD, not strong narratives.

Well that's quite different. Sony's PR, you guys got one job and you messed up. Why they didn't confirmed what Neil said in the interview before they upload it? :/

So I guess he is not "redefining" gaming after all.

@UltimateOtaku91 Not biased in the slightest there, eh?

@Deljo do you know Bruce and Amy personally? Neither have released a game in the last decade and I’m sure it’s alll Mr Druckman’s fault for that too! It’s fine not to like somebody’s work but to spout speculation like it’s fact is just plain wrong. Get over it and move on and don’t give Naughty Dog your money in the future

I dunno, even with all the added context, it still comes off as a hyperbolic statement to make, and doesn't really change the intent anyway. But the job of a studio head is to lead, even if it means being a part of both the dev team and the sales team. Ultimately this is just making a molehill out of an even smaller molehill, and all this really boils down to is a lot of pedantry. Pedantry from the news sites, pedantry from the gamers, be they here, X (formerly Twitter) or even in real life, and also pedantry from an overly-sensetive dev that is trying to mini-Streisand Effect something that ultimately won't matter in what was a Sony puff piece anyway.

Now if Neil Druckmann was president or something, then it would be a different matter.

@Fuzzymonkeyfunk what did I say that isn't true?

Still would love to see Naughty Dog take on the Garbage Pail Kids IP. Seems a perfect fit for them

@Deljo you can't back nothing up with facts show me sources for everything you just said and not just link to a YouTube commentator.

@LifeGirl He could say the same for you? He has a side and you have yours! Everyone that visits this site already knows where you both stand...btw at what time tomorrow was our anti-woke meeting I seem to have misplaced my calendar 😔

I guess interviewers often change what was exactly said to make things sound more exciting, maybe.

Also I tried force my self to watch the last of us tv show but found it too boring to get into and finally gave up on it at episode 6 I think, where it was just Ellie and her friend Riley. I wasn't paying attention. I guess I'm more into action than talking. Also thought Kathleen was the dumbest leader I've ever seen in a show, or the people following her were dumb. Coz if they were smart, they'd dethrone her.

I did enjoy the first game tho and never played the second game. I also enjoyed playing uncharted 3 and 4. I did want to play last of us 2 before it came out, but by the time it came out, I lost interest.

@Tecinthebrain It is super tiring because it is so predictable. When I talk about games with people in person its so easy to have disagreements without the same boring talking points constantly being brought up. As soon as people get online I feel like all good faith arguments die.

I don't like the guy because of him being in favor of crunch culture, but this is completely on Sony. They've basically lied about what he said and that's really shady.

@Deljo Yeah, the head of Naughty Dog clearly has nothing to do his team being successful. Lol

@Fuzzymonkeyfunk Did Amy Hennig not write Forspoken? Which, uh, not sure it really helps their case.

And why isnt TLOU3 their next project? The idea for the story is there. And theres probably a bunch of stuff from their cancelled online game that they can use no?
On a sidenote I would love a standalone factions. No need to add anything to it. Just a remaster sold for cheap.

@nessisonett apparently, she did not.
"Whitta was unavailable to take on the rebooted story, which was taken on by other writers. Instead he is credited in the game under 'Original Concept' while fellow writer Amy Hennig is credited under 'Story Concept', though he appreciates how having their names attached would raise the prestige of the game."
https://www.eurogamer.net/forspoken-story-nothing-like-original-pitch-says-gary-whitta

@naruball Has Amy Hennig shipped a game since Uncharted 3?

This smells like AI tampering the interview to produce a summary of what he said. a bit like what Google Gemini/Overviews is doing to your searches.

@IamJT I really don't get how Amy Hennig is still considered someone important in the industry. She hasn't done any meaningful job for 13 years since her work on Uncharted 3, but every project she's attached to at some point is lauded as the next big thing because she's in it.

It's almost as baffling as Jade Raymond's overwhelmingly positive reputation in the gaming media, although she hasn't produced any game for almost 10 years.

@BIG3 Neil already confirmed in TloU 2 documentary video that TloU 3 will happen and it will be the final game in the series. But it still in early concept phase since they're working to finish the new IP.

Reading both it's not that bad, a summary of what he said but slightly out of context. Nothing to get in arms about however. Wish him and the studio the best and all the creative freedom necessary to create great games.

@nessisonett I think it was Garry Whitta, I don’t know if she had some part in writing. I know she’s heavily involved in the new Captain America black panther game coming soon

@Deljo they are your opinions which your entitled to but it doesn’t mean that they are true

@Tecinthebrain Cool attempt at a burn there, lol.

@ThroughTheIris56 what was wrong with the writing?

@Artois2 Off the top of my head: Awful pacing, unlikable characters, boring dialogue, tone is dark throughout so it just loses impact, many moments being extremely contrived, purposefully ruined characters like Tommy, ending made the game feel like a complete waste of time.

In the first game the highs and lows which complimented each other and made such moments stand out, whereas Part 2 is just consistently bleak so it's just easy to not care by the end of it.

TLOU2 contrary to what the fanboys seem to think, is not the first story to have a major character death. Game of Thrones and Attack on Titan both have major deaths, and those stories are amazing because the characters in that died in ways that made sense and made perfect sense for the character. The major death in TLOU2 does not fit the character at all, with the circumstances being very contrived. That's why it baffles me when fanboys dismiss all criticism of the game as "you just didn't like the character death".

I don’t know about Neil’s rambling answer but that interview question in the box, well if that’s how interviewers ask questions these days then maybe we are better off with AI? 😩 They used the word “like” 3x in only 6 sentences, and the rest is uh, geez, I don’t know, like bad, I guess?🤪

@ThroughTheIris56 how did his death not make sense?

@Artois2 Yea it makes total sense. He got old and soft and made a mistake. I think it was more Tommy’s mistake than his anyways. Also, he deserved to die I don’t understand what the big deal is.

@Artois2 To explain why Joel's death did not suit him as a character, I'll first give a example of a character that died a very fitting death. Don't read the next paragraph if you don't want Game of Thrones spoilers.

The first death mentioned was the consequence of their actions, and happened from an elaborate and carefully made plan. Joel's death happened in the way it did, because the moon happened to be in the right place in the sky. I don't have a problem with Joel dying, it was the fact it was hamfisted and required so many coincidences to happen.

@IamJT not to my knowledge, anyway. She may be great and had bad luck. Who knows? What we do know is that her last great game came out more than a decade ago.

@ThroughTheIris56 all the flash backs show Joel is not the same man from the first game. He is old and soft and took up whittling. Makes perfect sense he slipped up. Also it wasn’t much of a coincidence Abby was searching for him in Jackson and he was out patrolling outside of Jackson. Then she did lure him back to where her people were. You are reaching.

Naughty Dog has been and is making games for the core PlayStation fan- narrative driven 3rd person action games. There is nothing wrong with that or the fans of that.

Unfortunately they’ve already bought a PS5 but Sony needs something to get the people who don’t like those games to buy one, which they won’t get because they’ve shut down all the quirky and weird studios.

Same problem as Microsoft.

@Deljo Wow. Talk about pretentious. Your comment screams hypocricy.

@Almost_Ghostly 1😁 thank you

@ThroughTheIris56 I mean that’s one way of not dragging it out get it over and done with then move on. Otherwise it would be an overly long game, also they had been living in the settlement for a long time of course his guard would be slipping

@Artois2 I mean your not wrong I just think they didn’t have theluxury that GOT had in being able to drag the story out. Loved GOT but one criticism is that they dragged ***** out

@Deljo you are very pompous

Yeah I get people people didn't like the most divisive game of all time, but it seems people go out of their way to spout hatred towards towards him, even blatantly making stuff up. I've been following him for some time, and while I can't know Neil very well, I've always seen him as a genuine person and a talented creator.

Every game has its own marketing spiel that you can largely ignore, but Naughty Dog has given us absolutely no reason to doubt them. Redefining mainstream gaming maybe not, but they always innovate and make unforgettable experiences

It’s obviously a spinoff to Knack, featuring Knack’s brother, a rice farmer, who’s tasked with rewarding deserving canines.

Nick Knack, Paddy Whack: Give that Dog a Bone!

@Artois2 thanks again little buddy 👍

@Deljo hey less of the little

@ThroughTheIris56 you’re not wrong but they don’t have luxury to drag it out like GOT. I loved GOT but it was slow at times and dragged 💩 out

@Artois2 that's what she said

@ThroughTheIris56 Maybe use some spoiler tags if you are going to put mayor plot points as example. The game maybe somewhat older already but its not a bad thing to hide for people who have not played it yet.

Removed for spoilers…

The experiment didn’t work on me cuz I spent too much time playing as Ellie and Joel. It’s really that simple, and I’m sure ND were aware some would just end up not liking part 2 like they did the first. But they were passionate about making it so…

Yesshh. 4 years later and some people still argued about Part 2 story and Mr J dead? I guess the game's theme about hate & revenge really works huh that some people irl can't let go of Mr J dead after 4 years.

@Flaming_Kaiser I'm skeptical of anyone that get's a 4 year old game spoilt for them by looking in the comments of an article about the deveopler, but how to I add spoilers so I can edit my comment?

@ThroughTheIris56 I got my game spoilt on this site, the first day of the release on another article that had nothing to with the Last of Us 2. But its a small effort to let people make their own choices if thet want to read it and yes i do understand your position on it.

<spoiler> </spoiler>tag around any text in your. You need to use these [ ] for < > otherwise it would not show i dont know how you call them in English

@Flaming_Kaiser Done, thanks.

@Omnistalgic It's just disappointing, the idea of him softening up is pretty far fetched considering he was already shown to be cautious and distrusting right before the apocalypse. While his life would have been comparably easier after moving into Jackson, due to still facing danger somewhat regularly and actively having to be cautious to avoid Ellie learning the truth, it doesn't really make sense to the point he would soften up to point of it getting himself killed.

Negative character development can be written really well. The downfall of Griffith from Berserk is an excellent example, as it shows as logical progression. Joel's softening wasn't shown at all on screen, we're just expected to believe it after seeing him get killed which is why so many people hate his death.

@ThroughTheIris56 I really dislike ir when people drop spoilers on games when they are our really soon. Anyway thanks for the nice response anyway.

@PuppetMaster nah that’s dismissive. Those were the folks sending death threats and weirdos. You can just not like TLoU2 as much as the first, the devs pretty much expected that lol. I still finished it twice and was bummed tlou online got canceled. Love is simply a much more easily palatable experience

@Omnistalgic I'm pretty sure Part 2 still has love as one of its theme. I mean, all the flashback of Ellie and Mr J in the museum or at the end when Ellie talked to Mr J that she wants to try to forgive him are definitely not about hate or revenge. But i guess some people skipped those flashback lol.

And i mean not just the weirdos who sent death threat to ND or Laura Bailey. But the fact 4 years later after the game released, people still keep talking that one death scene and argued about it over those flashback scenes just show the hate & revenge theme really works. Nowadays is very easy to make people angry / hate and keep them at boiling temperature. Just look at tons of rage-bait articles or videos out there.

@PuppetMaster part 2’s entire plot begins with a main character, that was part of why you loved the series, being gone and you finding the folks who did it. There’s way more nuance than that, and yes more themes and layers. Hell Joel is still the main character of part 2. But it’s still a much different experiment for the player than going on an adventure with 2 characters in part 1.

I agree with social media and folks in general just ready to hate, but I’m pretty into gaming and love different experiences, I don’t like part 2 the way I like the first. It just evokes a different feeling and I never like anyone on Abby’s side nearly as much. Hopefully the HBO show changes that.