Naughty Dog Has to Avoid an Unfortunate Role Reversal With Its New IP

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As a seasoned PlayStation gamer, I’ve been fortunate enough to witness the incredible journey of two titanic studios: Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studio. The former, with its gripping narratives and immersive gameplay, has carved out an unparalleled niche in the gaming world through masterpieces like Uncharted and The Last of Us series. On the other hand, Santa Monica Studio’s God of War franchise has been a testament to epic storytelling and visceral combat for almost two decades.

Without a doubt, Naughty Dog stands among the elite development teams under the Sony PlayStation brand. Acquired by Sony in 2001, Naughty Dog quickly gained recognition through its early successes with the popular franchises, Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter. The year 2007 was a pivotal moment for Naughty Dog as they launched Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, which went on to become the foundation of a cherished adventure series. Over the subsequent decade, Naughty Dog continued its string of victories with releases such as The Last of Us in 2013, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End in 2016, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy in 2017, and most recently, The Last of Us Part 2 in 2020. Few PlayStation studios can rival, let alone surpass, this impressive body of work.

One PlayStation studio that consistently delivers successful games is Santa Monica Studio, which has been around since 1999. They’ve been responsible for the critically acclaimed God of War series for nearly two decades. In fact, as one of PlayStation’s longest-running franchises, God of War has sold over 66 million copies by November 2023. Even more impressive is that no mainline God of War game has received a critic score below 80% on Metacritic, and the 2018 reboot even won the prestigious Game of the Year award. While Santa Monica Studio and Naughty Dog have managed to keep their franchises fresh over the years, they should be mindful of potential overlap in their rumored future projects.

Santa Monica Studio and Naughty Dog Are Reportedly Developing New Sci-Fi IPs

For nearly two decades, Santa Monica Studio has been devoted solely to creating the God of War series. However, it recently emerged that they are now developing a completely fresh intellectual property (IP). This speculation arose following the launch of God of War (2018), and was further substantiated by job listings from Santa Monica Studio in recent years. Surprisingly, one team within Santa Monica Studio had been working on a novel sci-fi IP before God of War (2018), but unfortunately, that project had to be abandoned. Consequently, there may be an inclination for the upcoming new IP from Santa Monica Studio to incorporate elements of science fiction, possibly reusing some of the work done for the aborted project.

Coincidentally, it’s worth mentioning that Naughty Dog is developing a fresh intellectual property (IP) after four decades of focusing on the “The Last of Us” and “Uncharted” series. The confidentiality surrounding Naughty Dog’s new IP comes close to Santa Monica’s level, but there’s been more speculation about it. For instance, whispers suggest that Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann will be directing the new IP, and hints indicate it could provide players with significant freedom. It’s also rumored that Naughty Dog’s new IP might replace “The Last of Us 3” as their next project. However, the genre of the new IP is still a mystery, with theories leaning towards either fantasy or science fiction. Enthusiasts of Naughty Dog are leaning more toward the latter, believing that the comic collectibles from “The Last of Us Part 2” titled “Savage Starlight” might have been hinting at an upcoming sci-fi game from the studio.

Sharing the Sci-Fi Genre Might Lead to an Unfavorable Situation for Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studio

As an ardent PlayStation fan, I’m thrilled about the upcoming sci-fi IPs from Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studio. However, the possibility of both studios delving into similar genres might not be ideal for either party. This predicament could echo the situation faced by Bend Studio with “Days Gone” in 2019. During a time when open-world and zombie games were abundant, “Days Gone” was launched. Despite Bend Studio’s efforts to distinguish “Days Gone” from other zombie titles, it struggled to escape comparisons with “The Last of Us.” The release of “The Last of Us Part 2” barely a year later only served to further overshadow “Days Gone.

If it’s true that both Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studio are developing new science fiction IPs, the one that debuts first could set a standard for fans, potentially making the second release face unfavorable comparisons. In addition, the sci-fi genre has seen significant expansion with popular titles such as Starfield, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, The Outer Worlds, and others, along with upcoming games like Judas, Mass Effect 4, Directive 8020, etc. This growth means that Santa Monica Studio and Naughty Dog will have stiff competition from third-party developers in the coming years. However, considering the diverse nature of the science fiction genre, it’s possible that Santa Monica Studio and Naughty Dog could create unique gaming experiences.

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2024-12-09 00:35