Ellie from The Last of Us inspired the creature in Bruce Straley’s new game

Today, renowned video game director Bruce Straley appeared on the Kinda Funny Games Daily show to discuss his upcoming game, Coven of the Chicken Foot. While you might not recognize the title, you’ve almost certainly played games he’s worked on – he directed hits like Uncharted 2, Uncharted 4, and The Last of Us. Straley recently founded his own independent studio, Wildflower Interactive, and unveiled the game’s first trailer at The Game Awards last week. Though very different from his previous work, Straley shared a surprising source of inspiration for the new title.

Bruce Straley’s Coven of the Chicken Foot was inspired by Ellie from The Last of Us

On a recent news show co-hosted with Greg Miller, Straley briefly discussed his work since leaving Naughty Dog and the development of his new game, Coven of the Chicken Foot. This segment took up about the first 15 minutes of the hour-long livestream, which then moved on to general video game news. Currently, there’s only one trailer available for Coven of the Chicken Foot, which introduces the two main characters: an elderly witch who is playable, and a large, comical creature that the player must cooperate with. While these characters aren’t based on Ellie, the game’s mechanics are inspired by what made Ellie such a compelling character in previous games.

During a conversation with Miller, Straley expressed his interest in creating more engaging stories where players interact with characters and the world, rather than simply watching a story unfold through cutscenes and explanations. He explained that the creature from Coven of the Chicken Foot is a way for him to explore how a character can react more realistically within gameplay. He wanted to build on the emotional connections players had with characters like Ellie, but instead of relying on pre-scripted moments, he wanted to allow player choices to shape the story and relationship with the character dynamically, all within the game itself.

Even from the start, Coven of the Chicken Foot seemed like a promising game. Its bright, cartoon-like art style hides a surprisingly creepy and unsettling atmosphere. Knowing this was the developer’s intention makes me even more eager to see just how far they push the boundaries and if they can successfully deliver on their vision.

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2025-12-17 04:02