Followers have been patiently ready for phrase of what Naughty Canine’s subsequent huge single-player sport will likely be following The Final of Us Half II and a number of remasters. Whereas studio head Neil Druckmann didn’t trace at what that mission is likely to be, he reportedly confirmed throughout a current roundtable dialogue that he’s been engaged on his subsequent sport since 2020.
The remark got here throughout a Jewish Visionaries in Gaming speak held on-line this week through which Druckmann appeared alongside Ken Levine of BioShock fame whose personal upcoming sport, the sci-fi shooter Judas, was revealed with a full trailer earlier this yr. Whereas Druckmann, who’s additionally been busy working Naughty Canine and co-creating the hit HBO adaptation of The Final of Us, didn’t say when his subsequent sport can be out, the 2020 marker suggests it won’t be too far-off at this level.
The roundtable dialogue began making the rounds on Reddit earlier immediately, however the VOD has since been set to personal on YouTube. Whereas Kotaku was unable to view the complete dialogue, one other viewer corroborated Druckmann’s point out of the 2020 date. Sony didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Naughty Canine has set the usual for blockbuster storytelling at PlayStation for years, nevertheless it’s been some time because the studio teased something new. A Final of Us On-line mission that was anticipated to take the post-apocalyptic zombie survival formulation into the live-service style was abruptly canceled final fall. There’s additionally been a collection of veteran departures on the studio in recent times, with Druckmann taking up as the highest supervisor at Naughty Canine after former co-president Evan Wells left in 2023.
Given present improvement cycles for the biggest-budget video games, it might nonetheless be just a few extra years till Druckmann’s subsequent sport, no matter it seems to be, is definitely in gamers’ fingers. Issues that used to take three to 4 years to make at the moment are more and more taking 5 to 6, particularly popping out of the 2020 pandemic. Along with a brand new IP, followers have additionally been ready to listen to concerning the destiny of Uncharted, which has been on ice since 2017’s Misplaced Legacy.
Druckmann did communicate as soon as earlier than about his subsequent sport in a now notorious Sony interview that was transcribed so inaccurately, the whole factor needed to be taken offline. Whereas the veteran author and director was ridiculed on-line for showing to counsel his subsequent mission would “redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming,” he later clarified that he by no means really stated these phrases. What he really stated was, “individuals even outdoors of gaming are taking a look at us to see what it’s that we put out subsequent.”