Right now, fans are on tenterhooks regarding Naughty Dog’s current (and next) projects, one of which is a multiplayer title directly linked to The Last of Us. There’s another game that’s being kept behind closed doors, and recently, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann opened up and explained why that is.
As the next project coming out of Naughty Dog’s studio, The Last of Us ‘Factions’ was revealed last year, during the summer of 2022, but since then, little more than a couple of pieces of concept art has been revealed. There are high expectations it’ll be revealed officially in 2023, but there’s a key reason why the developer is now waiting for so long before pulling back the veil that hides its games.
The Need To Strike A Balance
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Druckmann revealed that, in the past, Naughty Dog has experienced issues following the early announcement of its projects. It reportedly happened with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and it happened (rather infamously) with The Last of Us Part II.
This isn’t a new concept, though. In 2011, Naughty Dog debuted trailers tied to The Last of Us, but the game wouldn’t go on to launch for another two years, suffering from delays. Even back then, Druckmann was a firm defender of Naughty Dog and its need to produce the finest games possible:
… instead of cutting corners or compromising our vision, we came to the tough decision that the game deserved a few extra weeks to ensure every detail of The Last of Us was up to Naughty Dog’s internal high standards.
Neil Druckmann (in 2013)
Now, things are changing for the better, and Druckmann has explained that Naughty Dog will no longer reveal games so far ahead of their launch date. He stated that by delaying announcements, the development teams are granted the ability to ‘play with the schedule more’, ultimately avoiding the mad rush to make sure a game is ready for a given launch date expected by hungry fans.
Naughty Dog has fallen prey to ‘crunch culture’ in the past, and it reflected very poorly on the firm. There’s a strong desire within the studio to strike a better work-life balance, and avoid the crunch at all costs.
So, the unfortunate fact for fans (kind of) is that Naughty Dog’s secret project will remain under wraps for a while longer, according to Druckmann:
… and there’s another project that I will not say anything about that’s beyond that that we’re also very much excited for.
This is going to be a big year for games, and that ‘Factions’ announcement could be right on the horizon.
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our report on the new Xbox Showcase, reportedly landing on the 25th of January.
