Summary
Naughty Dogis reportedly prioritizing player freedom for its next game, as per a reliable insider. The award-winning studio is currently working on a new single-player IP, and it might just deviate from previousNaughty Doggames in a big way.
Ever since its establishment in 1984, Naughty Dog has birthed some ofthe greatest franchises in the games industry, especially under the PlayStation umbrella. Unfortunately, though, the decorated studio has faced a bit of turbulence in recent years. Many Naughty Dog fans have expressed frustration over the studio releasing nothing but remakes and remasters since the PS5’s launch in late 2020. Thecancelation of theLast of Us Onlineprojectlast year further threw a wrench in the works for Naughty Dog’s release schedule.
While it’s been known for some time thatNaughty Dog is developing a brand-new IP, details on the highly-anticipated project have been extremely scarce. However,The MinnMax Showhost Ben Hanson may have dropped a valuable nugget of information about Naughty Dog’s new IP. In the latest episode of the podcast, Hanson mentioned hearing from “somebody very in the know” that Naughty Dog’s next game will be “amazing” and will feature “a lot of player freedom.” Hanson’s source apparently compared it to a specific game as well, but he refrained from revealing this information during the episode, likely to protect the source.
Naughty Dog’s Next Game Might Draw Inspiration from Elden Ring
Interestingly, a 2023 interview with Neil Druckmann revealed that theNaughty Dog boss is intrigued byElden Ring’s storytelling format, which relies more on environmental subtext and less on cinematics and dialogue.Elden Ringis also a shining example of a game that offers an overwhelming amount of choice and freedom to players. If Naughty Dog’s next game is indeed taking design cues fromElden Ring, then fans can expect a much more open-ended and unrestricted adventure compared to the likes ofUnchartedandThe Last of Us.
The rumor is rather vague in nature, and fans should take it with a grain of salt. The scope of player freedom isn’t elaborated upon here, so it wouldn’t be prudent to expect the next Naughty Dog game to be as expansive and open asElden Ringbased on Druckmann’s comments. Still, there’s a lot of excitement aboutwhat Naughty Dog’s new IP will bring, and it seems the studio could be venturing into several unknown territories for it.
