Naughty Dog Might Be Trying Something Completely Different For Its Next Game

Over the years, Naughty Dog has become quite accustomed to a third-person perspective with its games. Jak and Daxter's adventures have utilized this view; the Uncharted games were all notably first person; and even The Last of Us and its forthcoming sequel are that way.

But things might be changing, and a lot sooner than you think. The team recently took part in a panel today during the DICE Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, and during that time, director Neil Druckmann suggested that, after The Last of Us Part II wraps up production, the team might be looking into something completely new.

Druckmann noted some preference to the third-person perspective, as the company's portfolio clearly shows. He noted that using this perspective makes it easier to identify and bond with a game character. That said, though, he also said a first-person perspective can work very well with narrative. (He's right, too – just look at what the Bioshock and Halo games have done.)

The team was looking into options when it began work on The Last of Us, sitting firmly on the fence about whether the game should be first or third-person. They also talked about whether single player would be enough for the game, and if it required multiplayer. They eventually settled on third-person and having both single player and multiplayer in the game, with the former decision coming down to being more intimate, with a "first-person feel" involving a character on-screen.

But it all comes down to the team being "totally open" about what it will be working on next once The Last of Us Part II is done. It obviously didn't say what this next project would be, but, hey, sometimes a change can do a company good. For an example, look at Guerrilla Games. It spent years making first-person shooters with the Killzone franchise, but then hit its stride with the third-person action/adventure Horizon Zero Dawn.

We'll see whatever Naughty Dog works on next, but it'll be a while, as it's still neck deep in developing The Last of Us Part II. The game doesn't have a release date, but it's currently set to arrive on PlayStation 4.

(Thanks to DualShockers for the tip!)