Naughty Dog fans awaiting the renowned developer's next game may not have to wait very long to hear about it. A recent update from Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann possibly spells good news for the announcement of the studio's long-awaited mystery project.

Over four years have passed since the release of The Last of Us Part 2, as well as the last time Naughty Dog launched a new game. The studio confirmed some time ago that it has multiple projects in development, but after last year's cancelation of The Last of Us Online live-service project, it has become clear that Naughty Dog wants to focus on single-player games for the time being. Among the remaining projects in the works at Naughty Dog is a new IP that will reportedly be the studio's next release, but the timeline for this game is currently unknown.

However, a recent comment from Neil Druckmann may have alluded to Naughty Dog being at the tail end of development for its next game. In a now-removed YouTube panel with BioShock creator Ken Levine, Druckmann remarked that his current project at Naughty Dog has been in the works since 2020. Considering the average AAA game takes five to seven years to develop, Druckmann's comment potentially confirms that Naughty Dog's next project is quite far along in production, and may even be announced sooner rather than later.

As it appears, the announcement of Naughty Dog's next game will be out of the studio's hands. Druckmann revealed that Sony granted him full control over the project, which isn't surprising considering his highly successful track record, but the company will handle the announcement of the next Naughty Dog game. Sony recently confirmed that it plans to release major PlayStation single-player games annually going forward, so the gaming giant likely has similar agreements with every first-party studio to manage upcoming game announcements.

A potential 2025 reveal alongside confirmation of a 2026 release window doesn't sound too unreasonable for the next Naughty Dog game, especially since Sony now rarely announces first-party titles more than a year away from launch. Ghost of Yotei being revealed in September 2024 for a 2025 release is a good example of this strategy. As for whether Naughty Dog's next game will be the long-rumored new IP or The Last of Us Part 3, though, is something fans will have to wait and see.

Posted: Nov 19, 2024 2:24 pm
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/naughty-dog-next-game-project-announcement-release-update/