Naughty Dog is working on the multiplayer The Last of Us title, but the studio has more up its sleeve it has yet to unveil. And according to Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckmann, this mystery title will be taking some cues from television, particularly in regards to creative process.
In an article by The New Yorker delving into the upcoming HBO Max series, Druckmann doesn’t drop any direct hints about that next game, but does describe how the creative process behind it is evolving and how the team is borrowing methods and talent from other mediums. He noted that it will be “structured more like a TV show” in that he was putting together a writers’ room to write the script. He also recalled an anecdote where he told a cinematographer on the HBO Max series that the door was open for her at Naughty Dog if she wanted to shift over to the video game medium.
Gathering more writers is quite a change from Naughty Dog’s previous titles. Druckmann is the only credited writer for The Last of Us. The writing team seemed to grow with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, as Druckmann and Josh Scherr were both writers on it while Thomas R. Bissell III and Ryan M. James were given additional writing credits (Shaun Escayg swapped in for Druckmann for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy). Druckmann also wrote The Last of Part II alongside Westworld writer Halley Gross with additional writing credits from Scherr and James.
Since some were misinterpreting how Naughty Dog’s next game was going to be “structured more like a TV show,” Druckmann took to Twitter to clear things up. He said that the quote was more about making games “in an even more collaborative manner.”
Druckmann hasn’t given away what he’s been working on, as noted by his appearance at Summer Game Fest where he said it was still a little too early to reveal his new project. There have been various rumblings that allege the team is making The Last of Us Part III (and even weaker rumors pointing to a science fiction game), but nothing has been confirmed.
