Neil Druckmann Did ‘Not Quite’ Say Naughty Dog’s Next Game ‘Could Redefine Mainstream Perceptions of Gaming’

Naughty Dog studio head Neil Druckmann has taken to X/Twitter to clarify that some of what made it into his interview with Sony was “not quite” what he said, including that the next game from The Last of Us developer could “redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming.”

While we don’t yet know what Naughty Dog’s next game will be, Druckmann did discuss his excitement for it with Sony. However, according to Druckmann, his answer was a bit different than what made it on the original interview.

In editing my rambling answers in my recent interview with SONY, some of my words, context, and intent were unfortunately lost. Well, here’s the full long rambling answer for the final question about our future game… pic.twitter.com/tVuxX3LYJF

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) May 25, 2024

“This is not quite what I said,” Druckmann said in regard to the “it could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming” line. “In editing my rambling answers in my recent interview with Sony, some of my words, context, and intent were unfortunately lost. Well, here’s the full long rambling answer for the final question about our future game.”

You can read the full response below from Druckmann after he was asked, “As we discuss future innovation, is there like a personal vision or dream project, you hope to see realized in the realm of entertainment at this point?”

Below, you can read the answer that appeared in the interview from the question, “Could you share a personal vision or dream project you hope to see realized in the future of entertainment?”

So, while Druckmann said this new project is “maybe the most excited” he’s been for one yet and “something really fresh for us”, he didn’t quite say, “it could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming.” What he did additionally say was that he is “very excited to see what the reaction for this thing will be — and i’ve already said too much about it.”

Naughty Dog confirmed that it was working on a new project in March 2023, and this will be the first new game from the studio since 2020’s The Last of Us: Part 2. Naughty Dog also confirmed in 2023 that it had cancelled its The Last of Us Multiplayer game and would focus on single-player game going forward.

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Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.