Naughty Dog may have been best known for its cartoonish platform games, such as Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter, but it had pivoted from cartoons to realistic action shooters with titles like The Last of Us and Uncharted.
Neil Druckmann has been a game director at ND for several years, having delivered multiple hits for the studio, but fans are curious as to what Druckmann’s next game will be.
Druckmann Teases His Next Game
In a recent online panel called Jewish Visionaries in Gaming (via PlayStation Lifestyle), Druckmann teased his next title. He said he was given “full creative control” over it and has been working on it since 2020—the same year that The Last of Us Part II came out. No details have been released about the upcoming game, but if job listings are to be believed, it will be a new IP, a fantasy title, and a theme that focuses on player freedom.
There’s also something about the game being a first-person title, which should be new for Druckmann since all of his games have been third-person adventure shooters with some platforming elements.
What about The Last of Us Part III?
Many fans had been hoping for confirmation of a third Last of Us game, but the same source has confirmed that Druckmann’s next game isn’t going to be a Last of Us title. With seven years between the first TLOU and the sequel, it’s possible that development could be ongoing for Part III, but maybe ND is hoping to give fans a first look in three more years.
It’s also worth noting that Druckmann is also involved with HBO’s The Last of Us series, which looks to be splitting the second game into two seasons. Maybe the delay for the third game is due to wanting to make a cohesive story that fits well with the HBO show.
Druckmann’s Track Record
For now, Druckmann remains the co-head of Naughty Dog and is the studio’s creative head. As far as his track record goes, Druckmann has been able to deliver bombastic AAA games with his Last of Us and Uncharted titles.
Admittedly, not everyone in the gaming community was a fan of what Druckmann was trying to do with The Last of Us Part II. Still, critics adored the game and appreciated the meta-narrative that Druckmann was trying to weave with dual protagonists Ellie and Abby.
Should Druckmann launch a brand new IP, fans expect it to be a AAA narrative that will be pushing the bounds of the video game medium once more. It’s unclear how he plans to do that exactly, but because TLOU Part II subverted expectations in the most creative fashion, the bar is set pretty high for Druckmann’s next title.
For now, Neil Druckmann’s next game has no release date set, but The Last of Us and Uncharted are available for PlayStation.