LogInAccording to Neil Druckmann, the studio doesn't want to repeat its experience with Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Part II.
Naughty Dog co-president and The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann has recently explained why the studio is keeping its next project under wraps.
It has been known that the Uncharted and The Last of Us developer is currently busy with two projects, one of which, a standalone multiplayer The Last of Us game, was revealed along with The Last of Us remake back in June. However, another project that is in the works at Naughty Dog still remains a mystery.
Some suggested that it might be the third part of The Last of Us. The rumor first came from ViewerAnon, a source known for accurate movie leaks, although it was met with a mixed reception since the leaker has rarely waded into the world of video games. In addition, Druckman himself apparently dispelled this rumor noting in his New Year tweet that players should "be wary of 'insider' info" as much of it is "false", probably referring to ViewerAnon's information.
At the same time, however, in a recent interview devoted to the upcoming The Last of Us show on HBO, Druckman stated that he doesn't believe that The Last of Us Part II is the end of the series, saying that he thinks "there’s more story to tell" which also made some believe that the studio might be working on the continuation of Ellie's story, although the studio head didn't confirm it outright.
It is currently not clear what Naughty Dog is working on right now, except for the multiplayer game, and Druckman recently explained why the studio's next project is kept a secret for now.
Speaking with ComicBook, the creative director shared that Naughty Dog's previous experience with announcing their titles far ahead of their launches has hurt the studio. While he admitted that revealing Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and The Last of Us Part II years before the titles' releases helped generate buzz, he noted that work on the games which had to be released by a certain time came at a human cost and that the studio doesn't want to repeat it again.
"We did announce Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Part II way in advance, but that actually caused a little bit of the work-life balance issues that we've sometimes had at the studio," he explained. "By delaying that announcement a bit, we could play with the schedule more and we're more conscious now about how we're approaching production. So there's our multiplayer project and there's another project that I will not say anything about that's beyond that that we're also very much excited for."
So, apparently, we will not hear any news about the project until really close to its launch. However, there is still a chance that the game will be revealed a little earlier as it is usually Sony that ultimately decides when to unveil these sorts of projects.
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