Naughty Dog’s most recent project in The Last of Us Part II was just launched in June 2020, but it looks like the studio is already starting work on its next game. Although this information has not been directly confirmed by those at the company, recent activities by some employees of the studio give us a good idea of what can happen internally.
A number of Naughty Dog developers began announcing late last year that they had received new promotions within the company. While Neil Druckmann is likely to be the co-chair of the studio, the most striking of these moves is likely to be a handful of other changes. As seen on the LinkedIn pages for developers Richard Cambier and Vinit Agarwal, each member was promoted to a director position in September last year. These two moves are particularly noteworthy, as it would appear that Cambier and Agarwal will be the leading development teams.
As for the team that can lead the two? Well, that’s the big question here. Agarwal specifically notes in his own profile that he mainly has experience with multiplayer titles. It is also worth noting that Naughty Dog has also hired a number of new employees over the past few months. It tells us that the first steps of working on a new game are apparently starting.
Even if Naughty Dog starts working on his next project, work on it The Last of Us Part II does not necessarily seem finished. Back in 2019, it was revealed that the multiplayer aspect of the sequel to the larger package had been removed, but that its development was not completely scrapped. Instead, it is said that the vision for this multiplayer component is much larger in scope compared to the factions mode in the original The last of us and that its new iteration will be introduced in the future. At the time of writing, the unveiling has not yet taken place.
But as a whole, what do you think Naughty Dog is working on next? Do you want to see it work again on a property like Unknown or The last of us, or would you prefer to create something completely new? Give me my thoughts in the comments below or send me a message on Twitter @ MooreMan12 if you want to talk more.
[H/T Twisted Voxel]