Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann is currently enjoying the goodwill towards his company’s “The Last of Us” franchise thanks to the HBO series adaptation he co-created and executive produces.
Unfortunately, he has also revealed that the company’s other signature franchise, the celebrated “Uncharted” games, which scored a far less faithful and softly received (albeit solid box-office earning) film adaptation last year, isn’t so lucky.
In a recent interview with Buzzfeed, Druckmann says his game studio has officially moved on from “Uncharted”, and its focus now is on the next chapter of “The Last of Us” which will involve a new multiplayer game.
Druckmann says that Sony doesn’t pressure Naughty Dog into creating a sequel just because a game is a success. He says that even though the most recent “Uncharted” game was a smash hit, creatively, the studio appears to be done:
“For us, Uncharted was insanely successful. “Uncharted 4″ was one of our best-selling games, and we can put our final brushstroke on that story and say that we’re done. We’re moving on.”
The news isn’t a surprise. Amy Hennig served as creative director on the original “Uncharted” trilogy but left the company years ago just as the fourth game had begun development. Druckmann, who worked on the second “Uncharted” game, took over the development of the fourth entry.
The result was a darker tone and more character-centric focus whilst offering a clear ending for the series – not something you see much in games. The title and the spin-off ‘Lost Legacy’ saw high-quality remasters arrive on both PS5 and PC last year. Sadly a remake of the original “Uncharted” trilogy for both platforms doesn’t look like it’s happening.
“The Last of Us”, on the other hand, is very much Druckmann’s creation and so its chances are better. Asked about the future, Druckmann says it’s up to Naughty Dog to decide if it wants to continue, but right now they are currently focused on the multiplayer game set within that universe:
“We’ve been pretty open that the next Last of Us game is going to be this multiplayer experience, where you’ll be able to enter the world of The Last of Us with your friend and get to experience the tension and the brutality of that world – and a brand new story and cast of characters that live in another city that we haven’t seen yet in the world of The Last of Us. This is going to be another chapter in the universe of The Last of Us.”
A multiplayer title is good an all, but it’s not a dedicated, AAA single-player title that the company is known for. Could there be a proper “The Last of Us Part III”?
“Our process is the same thing we did when we did Part II, which is if we can come up with a compelling story that has this universal message and statement about love – just like the first and second game did – then we will tell that story. If we can’t come up with something, we have a very strong ending with Part II, and that will be the end.”
More updates on the multiplayer title are expected later this year. In the meantime, a PC port of “The Last of Us Part I” remake is on the way on March 3rd – arriving just before the HBO show’s first season finale. No word on a potential “The Last of Us Part II” PC port at this time.
Source: IGN
