The Last of Us director left Naughty Dog after the studio settled into a “paradigm” for how to make a specific type of game: “I just don’t have it in me.” I would make a lot more money if I did! »
The Last of Us director Bruce Straley has given his most personal and detailed explanation for why he left Naughty Dog in 2016, citing “repetition” of the studio’s established game design as one of the main reasons for his departure.
“I’ve been here 18 years. That’s a long time for anyone to be anywhere,” Straley told Polygon. “I think I was instrumental in building this brand and these titles, and I had a really incredible experience with these teams. But I felt like I was answering the same questions over and over again.
“We were sort of in this paradigm of this style of play – where I was participating in the creation! But I felt like I had been in this position before. My brain is not good with this type of repetition. I need new problems to solve, I need new creative outlets. I’m not saying there wouldn’t be opportunities there, but couple that feeling with the idea that I was working really, really hard on something that was not mine.
Look on it
While we haven’t seen enough of Naughty Dog’s next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, to say if and how its game design has evolved since The Last of Us 2, it seems Straley simply wanted something different after directing three big-budget cinematic and narrative adventure games. And Straley was right: Naughty Dog ended up banging this same drum – literally, in the case of The Last of Us 2 re-releases – for years.
“For me, it’s this evolution of: How can I just take something from a different angle and create a new perspective on a genre that’s been widely explored?” he said. “And if I don’t do this…I just don’t have it in me. I’d make a lot more money if I did!”
Notably, Coven of the Chicken Foot is described as a “stylized, emotionally charged single-player adventure,” which certainly doesn’t seem antithetical to the design philosophy that has largely defined Naughty Dog games for nearly two decades, but at the very least, stylistically it’s very distinct, with a vibrant, colorful, cel-shaded, almost Ghibli-esque vibe that has nothing to do with the almost photorealistic style of modern Naughty Dog games.
In terms of gameplay, Wildflower says it’s “a charming yet dark puzzle platformer, set in a stylized world that ‘winks’ to the tropes of a traditional fantasy adventure game”, which is indeed what Straley said about wanting to avoid repetition.
In the meantime, Former PlayStation exec was “a little worried” when Naughty Dog first ditched Uncharted for The Last of Us: “Maybe we’re going too niche.”
