Summary

  • In an interview with the L.A. Times, Neil Druckmann assured fans that Naughty Dog won't be "The Last of Us studio forever."
  • Instead, Druckmann asserts that "multiple single-player projects" are currently in the works at Naughty Dog.
  • What those projects are remains to be seen, though a return to Jak and Daxter would be glorious.

Since the PlayStation's very beginning, Naughty Dog has been dishing out creative and memorable titles that have pushed the boundaries of the hardware they've graced. From iconic titles like Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted to Jak and Daxter and The Last of Us, Naughty Dog has been a central figure throughout PlayStation's illustrious history.

While Naughty Dog's reputation as a premier first-party studio has never been in question, it has been the subject of criticism from fans over the past few years. That is because since releasing Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the DLC expansion for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, the Santa Monica-based studio has released multiple Last of Us titles.

2020 saw the release of The Last of Us Part II, while 2022 saw a re-release of the original The Last of Us, now called The Last of Us Part I, and 2024 has featured a remastered version of Part II. That's not to mention the hand the studio had in HBO's adaption of the seminal video game, or the now-canceled Factons multiplayer project.

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In all, Naughty Dog's last non-The Last of Us project was in 2017, though a bundled Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy did release in 2022. As a result, Naughty Dog has been viewed by fans as "The Last of Us Studio." But the studio's head, Neil Druckmann, wants gamers to know that Naughty Dog won't be focused on its post-apocalyptic narrative forever.

Naughty Dog Has "Multiple Single-Player Projects" In The Works

In an exclusive interview with the L.A. Times as part of its series on influential creators in Los Angeles, helping shape the iconic city, Druckmann shared that Naughty Dog won't always be working on The Last of Us.

“I promise you, we will not be ‘The Last of Us’ studio forever,” Druckmann said. Instead, Druckmann reassured fans that there are multiple projects in the pipeline, including “multiple single-player projects.” What those projects are remains to be seen, though they will seemingly be created with Druckmann's vision in mind.

“We create experiences that are steeped in story and character, especially relationships,” Druckmann added. “The stories have some sort of philosophical core that everything is going to revolve around and feed into.”

So far, we do know that production on The Last of Us Part III has seemingly begun, though that would be separate from the projects Druckmann referred to. There are also rumors of Naughty Dog creating a new IP that is fantasy themed. Elsewhere, it wouldn't be too crazy if the studio returned to Uncharted. And, of course, there's the pipe dream that Jak and Daxter will make a return. Whatever it ends up being, there's no doubt it will continue Naughty Dog's track record of high-quality projects that define PlayStation and gaming.

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