After The Last of Us Part 2‘s launch, we haven’t heard much from Naughty Dog on the gaming front. Neil Druckmann was tied up with the HBO series for the first game, but many are wondering what’s next for one of Sony’s biggest studios.
Well, a recent job listing might offer some hints. After hunting for treasure and surviving a fungal apocalypse, Naughty Dog may now consider a more fantastical setting for its next adventure.
Naughty Dog Job Listing Suggests Several New Creature Varieties in the Next Title
Advancing technology has allowed games to become far more realistic than ever before. Now, this may seem a bit strange when you have zombies, aliens, dragons, and other fantastical creatures littering the screen. But, even though The Last of Us featured fictional creatures and locations, they felt real.
Naughty Dog seems to want to continue this trend. A recent job listing from the studio is looking for people who can “craft gameplay animations for a broad range of creatures of varied types” and do so to a “high standard of realism.” Previous rumors suggested that Naughty Dog would adopt a first-person perspective for its new title, a major departure from the studio’s titles.
Btw, I wholeheartedly believe that ND's next game is a new IP, not TLOU Part 3. But I do think that P3 is being worked on since they said they have "multiple" single-player games in development.
— Naughty Dog Info 🐾 (@NaughtyDogInfo) August 21, 2024
Some could take the wording of the job listing to indicate that the studio is working on a third part for The Last of Us. After all, the infected can be considered creatures, and the fungus may have started to infect more than just humans. Uncharted too features some fantastical creatures, and it may be a hint at a new entry in that series.
However, NaughtyDogInfo, who reported on the job listing first, thinks that the next game from the studio will be a fresh IP. With a job listing released, the game is still far from completion, and we will have to wait a while before we have any concrete news.
Gamers Are Still Annoyed About the Cancellation of the Online Version
The Last of Us Online was intended to be a multiplayer mode for the game that would build on the foundations established by the single-player games. It was first announced as an online mode for the franchise sequel before being worked on as a stand-alone live-service title. Unfortunately, the project was canceled in 2023, after four years of development at the hands of hundreds of employees.
Naughty Dog stated that while all the parts were in place, it was during the full production run that the team became aware of the project’s scale. A statement released on the matter claimed the Online project would require all of the studio’s resources to create post-launch content and support the project for years.
This would negatively affect the progress of other single-player titles, so the team decided to cancel the Online title. After so much time and effort, this cancellation came as a big blow to the fan base, and many expected Sony to be unhappy with the decision as well.
What is your favorite title from the studio? Let us know which and why in the comments below!
