Naughty Dog has been working on its next project for some time now, and studio head Neil Druckmann has confirmed several times that a new game is in development. The last original release from the Uncharted maker was The Last of Us Part 2 in 2020, after which the studio released an updated collection of two Uncharted games, a remake of 2013’s The Last of Us, and an updated sequel. Naughty Dog hasn’t revealed any details about its next game, but an industry insider teased that the unannounced project will promote player freedom.

“Player freedom” in Naughty Dog’s next game

The information comes from Ben Hanson (as spotted by ResetEra), founder of independent gaming media outlet MinnMax, who said last week that Naughty Dog’s long-awaited, unannounced project will likely have “a lot of freedom for players.” While Henson didn’t elaborate on what this player freedom means in terms of gameplay, his statement suggests that the Sony-owned studio’s next game could be a departure from its signature narrative-focused, hyper-linear games that usually offer a very interesting Rails experience for players.

According to Henson, a source who is “very knowledgeable who worked on the game” told him that Naughty Dog’s next game will surprise players. A source compared the in-development title to another existing game that has “a lot of freedom for players,” Hansen told The MinnMax Show last week.

Naughty Dog to release The Last of Us Part 1, a remake of 2013’s The Last of Us, in 2022
Photo: Sony/Naughty Dog

Neil Druckmann on an unannounced Naughty Dog game

While it’s too few details to get a clear idea of ​​what Naughty Dog is working on, the statement is consistent with Druckmann’s recent views on the type of games he’s been interested in lately. Speaking to The Washington Post in January 2023, Naughty Dog’s co-president said he was drawn to games that told their stories through environment, exploration, and gameplay rather than a traditional linear narrative.

“Recently, I’ve been intrigued by things like Elden Ring and Inside, which don’t rely so much on a traditional narrative to tell their story, and there’s — I think there’s some — some of the best storytelling in The Last of Us, a lot from this in the cinema. But a lot of it is in the gameplay, moving through the space and understanding the history of the space just by looking at it and exploring it,” Druckmann said.

During the same interaction, Druckmann also said that Naughty Dog is working on several new projects that will be “a little different” from the games the studio has worked on before. “Again, I’m very intrigued, never one to rest on my laurels and try something a little bit new, a little bit different that not everyone will like, but that’s okay. And again, what we’re working on right now, I can tell you that the teams are very excited about the different projects that we have at Naughty Dog,” he said.

The Last of Us Part 2 had some freedom for players in the form of an open world mini-level
Photo: Sony/Naughty Dog

Naughty Dog’s next project, The Last of Us Online and “Part 3”

Both Druckmann and Naughty Dog are tight-lipped about the studio’s current projects. In a documentary about the making of The Last of Us Part 2, Druckmann said he had an idea for a third game in the series. But Naughty Dog’s next game might not be The Last of Us Part 3. In an interview with Kinda Funny last year, Druckmann said that the studio’s next project is complete, admitting that fans are waiting for a third The Last of Us game.

“I know the fans really want The Last of Us Part 3, I hear it all the time,” Druckmann said in an interview. “All I can say is, look, we’re already into our next project. So, the decision has already been made. I can’t say what it is, but that’s the process we went through. We thought a lot about different things, and we chose what we were most excited about.”

For a long time, Naughty Dog has been working on a multiplayer game in the world of The Last of Us, the studio even released concept art of the project. However, in December 2023, developer Uncharted announced that the multiplayer title had been canceled. According to the developer, “The Last of Us Online” would require a long-term commitment to release regular updates, effectively turning Naughty Dog into a live maintenance studio. Instead, the company decided to abandon its chosen direction and continue to create what it is good at – single-player games.

Despite several teasers and reports of unannounced Naughty Dog projects, the studio and its parent company Sony have kept their next game under wraps. Naughty Dog, one of Sony’s most prestigious game studios, has yet to release an original PS5 game four years after the console’s launch.