Naughty Dog Fumbles the PS5 Generation

Despite Naughty Dog being the premiere PlayStation studio, we have heard nothing but whispers during the PlayStation 5 era. We are about halfway through the generation, and Naughty Dog has nothing to show except an unnecessary remake, a few pieces of concept art, and an iced project.

When I was growing up with my PlayStation 3 and eventually PlayStation 4, Naughty Dog was my favorite developer. I remember fighting off attacking pirates as Nathan Drake in Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and basking in the visuals and cinematic presentation of the game. When Uncharted 2: Among Thieves came around, I was amazed by the set pieces. Fighting across a speeding train that eventually dangles precariously off a mountain is one of, if not my favorite, gaming memories. After that was Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, which delivered everything we came to love from the franchise and even more spectacular gameplay moments, such as riding a horse down a runway to jump onto a departing plane. 

The era of Naughty Dog described above, or the Amy Hennig era, was charming and fun, just like Nathan Drake’s globe-trotting adventures. Then something very different came – The Last of Us. The wise-cracking tone that characterized Naughty Dog games was no more. The Last of Us was dark, gruesome, and depressing. It also became my favorite game, at least for a while. 

I love games with good storytelling, and The Last of Us proved Naughty Dog as a master storyteller. I realized the studio was versatile with tone, and they specialized in the type of games I like: linear and story-driven. In the past, I was confident in saying that Naughty Dog was my favorite developer.

In the PlayStation 4 era, you could tell the seriousness of The Last of Us was rubbing off on the studio. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End brought a more emotionally mature tone with an unrivaled deep dive into Nathan Drake and his motivations. Even though it wasn’t the light-hearted adventures of yore, it was still enjoyable. The PlayStation 4 era ended with The Last of Us Part 2 and ruptured the game industry through bold storytelling choices. I fell on the side of appreciation, taken back by Naughty Dog’s bravery in taking creative risks. The Last of Us Part 2 ended the PlayStation 4 era on a high note, and even if you didn’t like it, you can probably admit it’s better than doing nothing. 

So far, on the PlayStation 5, Naughty Dog has done basically nothing. I fear, with all the rumblings of behind-the-scenes drama, the infamous studio has fallen from its pedestal. 

The only game the studio released on the PS5 is The Last of Us Part 1, a remake of the original game. Although I’m sure the developers worked hard on this remake, it was unnecessary in the grand scheme. The game was remastered on the PlayStation 4, and the PlayStation 5 upgrade improved the frames and visuals. Not to mention, there were minimal gameplay improvements besides some AI tweaking. Ultimately, the project felt like a money grab that capitalized on The Last of Us TV show and nothing more.

Furthermore, there are rumors The Last of Us Part 2 is getting a PS5 upgrade. The game’s composer, Gustavo Santaolalla, said new editions are in progress. If true, the project would be an unnecessary replacement for what could have been a new IP or entry into an ongoing franchise. If nothing else, it takes resources away from a new game and directs them to a project few people want. 

During the last generation, Naughty Dog started strong with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and ended strong with The Last of Us Part 2. We haven’t seen any new games, trailers, or announcements this generation. We have no official indication of what Naughty Dog is working on, and that’s worrisome. 

The premier PlayStation studio is absent. 

So, what exactly is going on? There might be turmoil in the ranks of Naughty Dog. With The Last of Us Factions’ development struggles, long-term difficulties spread into a wildfire. The Last of Us Part 2 was originally going to launch with a multiplayer mode like the original PlayStation 3 version. However, when the campaign took over most of the development’s resources, it was postponed. 

Soon after, Naughty Dog announced that Factions, the fabled multiplayer, grew into its own game. That was in 2020, and we haven’t gotten any official news since except for a few pieces of concept art and that the title was ambitious. Maybe a little too ambitious. 

Several PlayStation studios were pushed into making live service titles, evidenced by PlayStation’s last big showcase. Almost every game was a live service title, completely disregarding the kind of games PlayStation fans enjoy – linear narratives like Uncharted. Don’t get me wrong, PlayStation should diversify its portfolio and create a significant multiplayer title, however, pushing every studio into it will stiffen creativity and possibly result in unenthused creators. 

We don’t have any facts, but I believe Naughty Dog was forced (either by Sony or Naughty Dog leadership) to transition Factions into an expansive live service game. The studio has never made a live service game, and the task seemed too much to bear. I’m not saying the developers are bad at their jobs. It’s probably a host of factors, including leadership, crunch, and inexperience in a particular type of game. Perhaps, the strain of The Last of Us Factions has halted all other projects and created a less than satisfactory work environment. A work environment that may have been present for a long time, Factions just igniting the flame. 

When I learned about the crunch behind Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and The Last of Us Part 2, my rose-colored glasses slowly slipped off my face. Additionally, we have the mysterious Amy Hennig departure. As mentioned above, Hennig was the head writer and creative director for the first three Uncharted games. She started working on Uncharted 4 while the other half of the studio focused on The Last of Us. Hennig had a strong start with Uncharted 4, creating the basis for the story. Then, mysteriously Hennig left, and her ideas were scrapped. Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley took over as co-directors, completely re-doing Hennig’s work. Significantly, Straley left after Uncharted 4: A Theif’s End launched, saying the game’s development took a toll on him. Fast forward to 2023, and The Last of Us TV show came out. Although the game was co-created by Druckmann and Straley, only Druckmann received credit for the show.

I’m not going to sit here and guess what’s going on behind Naughty Dog’s closed doors, but it’s safe to say the wholesome style of earlier Uncharted and the dark tone of the current Naughty Dog games may reflect the studio’s inner workings. 

Back to the present, and the same drama persists with The Last of Us Factions. Despite promises of learning more soon, reports came out that Factions is under more trouble than the studio lets on. Earlier this year, Jason Schreier of Bloomberg reported that Sony is reevaluating Factions. A delay announcement followed the report. You could paraphrase it like this: “The Last of Us Factions is delayed, but look over here. We are working on a single-player game. We are good at those.” 

Schreier also reported that Bungie, who has experience creating live service games, evaluated Factions and found it unsatisfactory, saying it won’t keep players interested in the long haul. After this, the news only got worse. 

Early in October, Naughty Dog let go of 25 contract workers without severance and asked developers to keep their departure quiet. Among those people was principle monetization designer Anders Howard, a project leader for Factions. He transitioned to Naughty Dog after designing the successful battle pass and progression system in Fortnite. Now, only after 11 months, Howard is no longer at Naughty Dog. 

With the sad news, The Last of Us Factions is reportedly on ice; some say the project is canceled altogether. If I were to guess, The Last of Us Factions is never coming out. It’s a shame that years of work and promises will amount to nothing. With all the turmoil behind the scenes, it’s no wonder Naughty Dog has done nothing during the PlayStation 5 generation. We will probably get an excellent single-player game down the road, but my image of Naughty Dog is forever stained.

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