Do you remember a time when Naughty Dog used to have a new franchise for every new console generation? Yep, so do we, but it’s been quite a while since that was the case. The developer was known for Crash Bandicoot during the PS1 era, Jak & Daxter during the PS2 glory days, while exploding as a studio with Uncharted and The Last Of Us during the PS3 generation. Then the PS4 and PS5 arrived and since then, it’s just been more Uncharted and more The Last Of Us, and while many are perfectly happy with Naughty Dog serving up games from those IP that continually contest for various Game Of The Year awards, others are also looking for something new and different – and perhaps that is finally on the way.
A listing at PlayStation Global, a recruiting arm that is looking for a Senior Producer has spilled the beans on what may be happening next for Naughty Dog, but also the quiet achievers, PlayStation’s Visual Arts Service Group, and perhaps even another, brand new team. “Sony PlayStation is building a new internal game development team in partnership with PSS Visual Arts, an award-winning, full-production group, that specializes in Animation, Motion Capture, Cinematics, Art, and Scanning,” the listing reads on the site. “This high visibility project is being developed in collaboration with Naughty Dog. Though currently unannounced, we have a clear vision and plan to release. Using our existing expertise and premier talent, we will guarantee a high visual quality bar for the game and a compelling experience for our players” the posting continues.
The Visual Arts Service Group is an interesting branch of PlayStation themselves, having mostly been a supporting arm for almost all of PlayStation’s first-party studios since it was built up by former studio head Michael Mumbauer. Recently, the team has themselves been exploring ways to work on their own titles, reportedly leading an Uncharted remake at one point before that was scrapped, then beginning work on The Last Of Us Part I, which Naughty Dog themselves then brough in house with VASG’s assistance.
Naughty Dog themselves are extraordinarily busy. From the 2022 launches of Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection across both PS5 and more recently PC, to The Last Of Us Part I arriving on PS5, and the ongoing development of The Last Of Us‘ multiplayer game, the studio is flat-out at present. Reports have suggested that an Uncharted game may be in development at the studio, while now this listing also suggests that something new is brewing too. How many pies can the developer have their finger in? We suppose it cannot be too much longer before we begin to get some answers about the myriad of projects that involve the studio and its beloved IP.
