Naughty Dog's Future Sounds Defined By The Last of Us | Game Rant
The Last of Us has been a hugely successful franchise for Naughty Dog and the PlayStation platform. The story-heavy games have been met with critical acclaim and financial success, despite the divisiveness of the second chapter. Naughty Dog is a prolific developer and has created several iconic franchises like Uncharted, Crash Bandicoot, and Jak and Daxter. The team has been a big asset for PlayStation for years, and most recently with the popular Last of Us series. Based on rumors and confirmed information, it seems as though the developer's future is with The Last of Us, at least in the short term.
The Last of Us is considered one of the best games of all time by many gamers for its impressive storytelling, atmosphere, and character-driven story. The widespread critical acclaim and financial success it earned led many to believe a sequel would be made. The Last of Us Part 2 was released in June 2020 to critical acclaim but it received a divisive reaction from many franchise fans, largely due to unexpected narrative twists. Naughty Dog and PlayStation look set to push forward with the franchise in several different ways, meaning that Naughty Dog could be kept busy for some time to come. And even if the new IP rumors are indeed true, it runs the risk of being overshadowed by Ellie's Journey.
One of Naughty Dog's confirmed Last of Us projects is the multiplayer mode for The Last of Us Part 2. There has been no confirmed release date for multiplayer, but fans have been nonetheless excited. It's unclear what the mode will be exactly, with speculation ranging from it being an updated version of Factions multiplayer from the first game to something entirely different. Regardless of what shape the mode takes, it has been suggested that it's become more ambitious than originally intended. Many fans expect that The Last of Us 2's multiplayer won't launch until 2022 due to the lack of information about the mode.
Neil Druckmann, from Naughty Dog, has stated that The Last of Us 2's multiplayer will be worth the wait. With no confirmed release date, many gamers expect that the developer is hard at work on the multiplayer mode, and the team is waiting for the right time to reveal it formally. Naughty Dog is bound to be kept busy with the in-development multiplayer features. This is one of the few confirmed Last of Us-related projects in the works, but if rumors are to be believed, the team could be busier than most realize.
News recently broke that there is a fully-fledged remake of The Last of Us in development at Naughty Dog. This news caught many fans by surprise. The original game was released in 2013, just 8 years ago. Some fans consider this to be unnecessary, while others are looking forward to playing the original classic in an updated fashion. The use of the word remake in the report suggests that this is beyond retexturing models and refining game mechanics. Traditionally, a remake would mean that the game is being developed again from the ground up. There has been no official confirmation of a remake from Naughty Dog or Sony, but if it's true, Naughty Dog's future will revolve around The Last of Us more than many anticipated.
A large number of fans are questioning if a Last of Us remake is even necessary, considering it is a relatively modern game, having been released in 2013 on PlayStation 3 and quickly remastered for PS4 in 2014. Remakes tend to be undertaken for older games, with Resident Evil 2 and 3 being recent examples. If this turns out to be true, players can expect a large portion of Naughty Dog resources to be taken up by the remake project.
Recently, a supposed Naughty Dog project list appeared online which mentioned some of the studio's alleged upcoming projects. Among the list was a reference to DLC for The Last of Us 2 that focuses on Abby. Some fans would certainly welcome the opportunity to explore her character some more, while other games might not be too excited about the idea. While this information is completely unverified, it might not be too surprising, considering The Last of Us has become a cornerstone of PlayStation gaming. With the possibility of there being another Last of Us project like this in development, Naughty Dog's immediate future, even more so, seems to be shaped around The Last of Us franchise.
Outside of gaming, The Last of Us is set to make waves in a TV show adaptation. The project has been described as a collaboration between HBO and Naughty Dog, with Neil Druckmann co-writing the show. While it's unlikely that Naughty Dog as a whole will be involved in the creation of the show, there could be some strain on the developer's resources due to its collaborative nature. Regardless, it sounds as if Naughty Dog vice president, Neil Druckmann, will be kept busy with the upcoming adaptation.
A brand new Last of Us game hasn't been confirmed by Sony or Naughty Dog, but some consider it to be inevitable at this stage. The franchise has become more successful than ever with the release of Part 2. The Last of Us 2 left the door wide open for a potential sequel, and many games presume that a full sequel will happen, sooner or later. Naughty Dog has several possible narrative directions for Part 3 that the team could explore, though it might take some time for a new sequel to begin active development. A new sequel would see the franchise enter a new chapter of its existence, which could in itself spawn more side projects related to the game like Part 2 has done.
The Last of Us 2's multiplayer and the TV adaptation are the only confirmed projects related to the franchise at the moment. There have been several unverified leaks related to Abby DLC and a remake of the first game. Regardless of the unconfirmed Last of Us content, it seems as though Naughty Dog is gearing up to center around the franchise for the foreseeable future. The series has a huge following and further content and games are likely to do well. The Last of Us 2 required an enormous workforce to develop, so it could stand to reason that future projects for this franchise might follow suit.
The Last of Us Part 2 is available now on PlayStation 4.
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