TLOU Boss Neil Druckmann Says He Doesn’t Have The Confidence To Plan Ahead For Sequels

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Although Naughty Dog has merely hinted at the third game in The Last of Us series, co-writer and director Neil Druckmann recently revealed that sequels were not originally part of his vision. During a conversation with Sony Santa Monica head Cory Barlog at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas, they expressed their uncertainties about their creative journey.

In response to several questions submitted in advance by the audience, one query stood out that touched upon the creation of sequels and preserving character growth across various video games. Druckmann stated his approach is tackling each game individually without thinking too much about future projects.

He said that answering your question is straightforward since he only focuses on the current game at hand, as it completely absorbs his attention. He cautions against contemplating sequels while working on the original project. During the creation of The Last of Us 2, he would occasionally have thoughts about where a potential sequel might lead, but he always considered each project as if it could be his last. He doesn’t hold back on sharing good ideas; instead, he strives to incorporate them into the current work.” (via IGN)

Druckmann elaborated on the approach he takes when crafting character arcs, humorously stating that if a character isn’t progressing, he might consider eliminating them from the story.

In a somewhat playful manner, he shared that they’d move on to the next chapter without missing a beat. Back when they created Uncharted 1, they hadn’t envisioned the train sequence of Uncharted 2 or where Nathan Drake would end up. They discovered those elements as they progressed with Uncharted 2. The same pattern repeated with Uncharted 3 and Uncharted 4. As time went by, they often found themselves pondering, ‘How can we avoid repetition? Where else might this character journey lead? What fresh adventures could draw him in?’ he elaborated.

He went on to say, “We need to devise a fresh solution.” If we can’t find a new solution, then we must ponder, is this the suitable character or project? Could it be that we should shift our focus to a different character or game? Or perhaps it’s time for us to seek out something fresh?

During a gathering called “Jewish Visionaries in Gaming” held in November, Druckmann revealed that he had been developing a new game since the year 2020, as he was alongside BioShock creator Ken Levine.

“I can’t talk about it or our bosses will get very mad at me,” he said at the time.

In April, Season 2 of HBO’s “The Last of Us” is set to air on Max, and it will delve into some incidents similar to those depicted in “The Last of Us Part 2.”

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2025-02-18 19:40