Neil Druckmann's Words On Naughty Dog's Next Game Actually Makes A Lot Of Sense

It turns out the controversial quote from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann about his next game “redefining mainstream perceptions of gaming” was actually taken out of context (and partiaꦚlly invented) by Sony, an ironic twist of fate given the parent company isꦯ meant to be making him look good.

After the majority of news outlets picked up on the quote and reported on it with the stance I think everyone expected them to - ourselves included - . While I still vehemently disagree with comments he’s made about AI and how it 💛will factor into the future of dialogue and storytelling, his points oꦺn Naughty Dog’s next game are right on the money.

Neil Druckmann Is Right, Naughty Dog Did Change Video Games Forever

There used to be a time when everything Naughty Dog touched would turn to gold. Not only did it give birth to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Crash Bandicoot and help define the early era of 3D platformers, it pushed that philosophy even further with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Jak & Daxter.

Then it turned its attention to cinematic blockbusters, essentially giving us gaming’s take on Indiana Jones with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. For several years, Nathan Drake gave us stunning titles which pushed forward the potential of visuals, gameplay, and performance capture in a medium🥀 tha꧑t was becoming more and more sophisticated.

As a teenager I was head over heels for these games, playing them through several times until 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Last of Us came along in 2013 and changed everything. Druckmann worked on every single Uncharted in some capacityဣ, but The Last of Us is the first game where he sat in the director’s seat next to Bruce Straley.

The Last of Us Part 2 - Ellie pointing a pistol

It was and still is a masterpiece, quickly becoming the benchmark for mature and emotional stories in mainstream video games,🌠 and something everyone was told they should aspire to be. It was a narrative and a vision I believed and stood by, and in many ways still do. Sadly, it didn’t take long for this universal acclaim to evolve into unwavering hubris.

Before the very long development cycle of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Last of Us Part 2, Naughty Dog was plagued by grim reports of crunch and an old-fashioned approach🌸 to production that seldom inspired new ideas, and over time, has resulted in their gameplay design feeling strangely outdated. What helped set the world on fire in 2013 just doesn’t cut it in 2023, so 🍌when Druckmann is caught saying that he is once again going to change the gaming landscape forever, we turn our noses up.

Except Druckmann Didn’t Really Say That. Not Really...

Image of Nathan and Sam from Uncharted 4 on motorcycle

He released a longer, uncut versꦅion of the transcript on Twitter🃏 which seems to come from a question asking about his dream project, or what he would “like to see realized in the realm of entertainment” in the future. Like most game developers, Druckmann jumped to the sort of games he loves to make, several of which he already has.

Then he touches on how, when he was growing up, gaming was more of a kid’s thing, while those with 💦knowledge of the medium kno꧅w what it is capable of in terms of interactivity and storytelling, yet for so long, it’s been impossible to break through those boundaries or show that, aside from a few select mainstream examples, that video games can be for everyone.

And he’s right in saying that we are now living in a𒀰n era where the medium is recog🎃nised as a serious art form, even if that respect comes in the form of adaptations like The Last of Us or Fallout which, in some way, open to floodgates for people to pick up games for the first time.

His൲ heavy involvement in the HBO show wasn’t necessarily about viewing games as somehow inferior to television or film, but to ensure this adaptation was as good as it could possibly be, both faithful and passionately crafted, instead of lazily adapting the game so it hardly broaches the realm of mediocrity. It’s an incredible show, and helped The Last of Us become a cultural juggernaut for the second time in its existence.

But Where Could The Future Be Taking Naughty Dog?

joel and ellie meeting a giraffe in the last of us — via Naughty Dog

When I was growing up, video game adaptations were almost never good. They were cheaply made with poor performances and didn’t care about the source material. Companies always viewed them as easy to make, market, and earn a profit from. There wasn’t any incentive to try and make them good, so nobody really bothered. That has changed, and i🦩t’s partially why video game adaptations are slowly replacing comic book adaptations as the next big thing across film and television.

People in high places are starting to realise that games are ripe for new audiences, not just existing ones who cling onto them like 📖precious pearls. My parents have watched The Last of Us and Fallout, not because they like the games, but 𝄹because they offer stories and characters that resonate in any medium, and if that’s the obstacle we must tackle in order to bring more eyes to the games that inspired them, then so be it.

The final parts of this newly released quote talk about how more eyes are on Na𝓡ughty Dog than ever following the success of HBO’s The Last o𝔍f Us, and there are naturally high hopes for whatever game it releases next, even if it takes several more years to come out.

Crash Bandicoot walks forward with three fingers in the air

Recent rumours point to it being a fantasy title, and judging from the sentiment expressed by Druckmann here, it hopes to both adv🎃ance Naughty Dog’s formula but also try something ne🔜w. And I hope it does, since this could be the game that shows the millions who enjoyed the adaptation exactly what video games can do without an emotional connection they’ve already made.

Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter♋, Uncharted, and The Last of Us all pushed the medium into the future in entirely unique and groundbreaking ways, and despite all the scepticism that surrounds Naughty Dog in the modern era, I’m still hesitant to bet against them. So long as their hubris doesn’t get out of control and Druckmann really is setting the record straight, it still stands a solid chance of raising yet another virtual 💃benchmark.