Notizie

With the end of Season 2 of HBO's The Last of Us, we already knew that the third season would see a significant change in front of the camera — with Kaitlyn Dever's Abby taking over the spotlight as the perspective shifts from Bella Ramsey's Ellie.

But an announcement on Wednesday from the video game's creative director and series cocreator Neil Druckmann means a serious shake-up is also going on behind the scenes.

"I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO," Druckmann wrote in a statement posted to the Instagram account of game publisher, Naughty Dog.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Naughty Dog (@naughty_dog_inc)

"With work completed on Season 2 and before any meaningful work starts on Season 3, now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to Naughty Dog and its future projects,...

The most controversial departure in gaming history happened behind closed doors at Naughty Dog. Amy Hennig, the creative mastermind behind Nathan Drake’s adventures and the mother of the Uncharted series as we know it, left the studio in 2014 under circumstances that remain murky to this day.

What followed was a complete overhaul of Uncharted 4. Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley took the reins, scrapped months of work, and fundamentally changed what the series represented.

The result? A game that prioritized emotional depth over the spectacular set pieces that made the series legendary. Whether that was an improvement depends entirely on what you valued about treasure hunting with everyone’s favorite wisecracking adventurer.

When spectacle became secondary to feelings

Amy Hennig‘s Uncharted games were playable action movies. Remember the cargo plane sequence from Uncharted 3? Drake literally falls out of a crashing aircraft, climbs back inside, and fights his way through...

This article contains light spoilers for both "The Last of Us" and "The Last of Us Part II." If you're unfamiliar with the larger arc of the video games, turn around and come back later! Spoilers ahead!

Even if you've never played the Naughty Dog games "The Last of Us" and "The Last of Us Part II," released in 2013 and 2020, you're probably familiar with them — especially considering that they're the source material for one of HBO's biggest and most popular shows at the moment. So will Neil Druckmann, who created and directed the game alongside Bruce Straley, ever make the game into a trilogy?

During an appearance on the Sacred Symbols podcast, Druckmann addressed the possibility of a third video game, despite the fact that he's currently fully committed to the HBO series "The Last of Us." (Druckmann serves as a co-showrunner alongside Craig Mazin, who previously worked with the premium network on "Chernobyl,...

Heavy spoilers ahead for "The Last of Us" season 2, episode 6.

For the most part, HBO's "The Last of Us" acts as a close replica of the Naughty Dog game of the same name, created by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. Many scenes are one-to-one remakes, which is perfect if you're looking for an expensive walkthrough video, but lacks surprise for those even a bit familiar with the plot of the games. And yet, occasionally, the show offers a change from its source material -- a deviation that shows the potential of the world to tell other kinds of stories than what players already experienced.

Changes like Bill and Frank's side story, or the changes to the character of Tommy (Gabriel Luna) having big repercussions for the themes of the second season are what make this a great TV show in addition to being an accurate adaptation. These changes allow the...

Have you ever wanted to play a game that just blows you away with how well the story and its characters are? Then The Last of Us series is exactly for you. The franchise is the chef d’œuvre of video games, and from the visuals to the world-building, the titles are perfect to the core.

The first game in the The Last of Us series has received universal acclaim, and rightfully so; the game delivers a mix of emotions that makes you beg the developers for more. Although the title became one of the most popular games in the last decade, some people have criticized and accused the directors for forcing a representation agenda on the masses.

The Last of Us series is a visual masterpiece | Image Credits: Naughty Dog

Let’s delve deeper into this and find out what the developers have to say about this.

The Last of Us...

The road to bringing Uncharted to the big screen was paved with more plot twists than the treasure-hunting adventures themselves. Before Tom Holland ever donned Nathan Drake’s iconic henley, a very different vision existed—one starring Deadpool himself.

That vision came from director Joe Carnahan, who envisioned an R-rated adventure that nearly had Ryan Reynolds stepping into Drake’s boots. But like the ancient artifacts in the games, this version of the film vanished into the mists of development hell.

The treasure hunter who never was. | Image Credit: Gage Skidmore/Cc By-sa 2.0/Wikimedia Commons

And behind this lost cinematic treasure lies a tale of creative control, studio politics, and some surprisingly candid comments about the franchise’s original creator and the man who would eventually take her place.

Reynolds’ lost treasure and Hennig’s stolen legacy

The Uncharted movie we eventually got bears little resemblance to what could have been.

It’s been nine years since Nathan Drake’s supposed final adventure, and I still find myself returning to Uncharted 4 like an old friend. There’s something about that game that just hits differently from its predecessors—something I couldn’t quite put my finger on until recently.

One last treasure hunt. | Image Credit: Naughty Dog

When Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley took over development after Amy Hennig’s departure, many fans (myself included) worried they’d turn our beloved treasure hunter into a brooding Joel-clone. But what they delivered was something far more nuanced: a mature evolution that traded supernatural spectacle for something more grounded.

And that’s precisely why I’ve come to believe that any attempt at Uncharted 5 would likely miss what made the fourth entry so special. It wasn’t just a great game—it was the perfect conclusion to a journey that seemingly didn’t need another chapter.

If you’re a fan of the Uncharted series by Naughty Dog, then you have surely asked this one question before. Should the studio and Neil Druckmann make another game? Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End had a near-perfect conclusion to Nathan Drake’s story, so the debate is not just about the if, but also the how.

Uncharted is one of the most celebrated franchises in gaming. | Image Credit: Naughty Dog

The PlayStation 5 has had a lot of successful games but there has been a noticeable drop in exclusive games which means the console hasn’t sold as much. There has also been a gap in the action-adventure genre for a game like Uncharted to shine with strong adventure and story beats.

What incentive does Naughty Dog have to make a new Uncharted game? Uncharted 4 has a perfect ending, so why touch it? | Image Credit: Naughty Dog

The ending...

The Uncharted movie finally escaped development hell and has the rare distinction of being remembered as the first project from PlayStation Productions. The film has undergone a handful of changes from scripts, directors, and even actors until Sony decided to bet all its chips on Tom Holland, hoping his star power from his ventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Spider-Man would convince audiences to see the film.

While the final product wasn’t perfect, it was serviceable and got the job done. The filmmakers knew that hardcore fans would always be on the fence due to inaccuracies in the source material; however, the producers slipped in a few good easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans to spot.

10. Jordan A. Mun in Uncharted (2022) Before becoming the hero in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Tati Gabrielle was the villain in Uncharted (2022). Image Credit: Naughty Dog.

Naughty Dog took the opportunity to reveal...

Just a decade ago, developer Naughty Dog found incredible success with The Last of Us. It’s a game that tells the story of a hardened smuggler and a loud-mouthed teenager who must team up to cross a treacherous, post-apocalyptic United States.

The Last of Us stands as one of the crown jewels for Naughty Dog. (Image via PlayStation)

The Last of Us series has been a massive success for Naughty Dog, as it has swept multiple accolades and even has a TV series that has gained positive receptions from fans. However, the series’ creator, Neil Druckmann, initially believed that The Last of Us would be a blunder for the studio.

Why Neil Druckmann wasn’t sure about The Last of Us The title took a different path compared to the studio’s previous games. (Image via Sony)

In an interview right before the release of The Last of Us Part II,...

If you’re a gamer, there’s a high chance you’ve heard of Naughty Dog, the development studio behind some of the most iconic games in the industry’s history. Founded in 1984 by Andrew Gavin and Jason Rubin, the studio had achieved success with beloved franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter.

Nd was once an independent studio. | Image Credit: Naughty Dog

In the early 2000s, the studio arrived at a crossroads. The escalating costs of developing a game in the 2000s were straining the studio’s resources. And so, Naughty Dog was sold to Sony in 2001. Gavin has recently shared some details regarding the situation back then and why selling the studio was the best option.

Selling Naughty Dog to Sony was the best move We wouldn’t have gotten some of our favorite games without this move. Image Credit: Naughty Dog

When Naughty Dog started in the 1980s,...

When asked about Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End in 2017, Alan Tudyk’s response raised quite a few eyebrows. The veteran actor, who was originally attached to Naughty Dog’s ambitious project before walking away in 2014, had some rather interesting reasons for not checking out the final product.

Alan Tudyk at the 2024 Phoenix Fan Fusion. | Image Credit: Gage Skidmore/Cc By-sa 2.0/Wikimedia Commons

While many assumed his departure from the project left him bitter towards the studio, the truth behind his gaming preferences—or lack thereof—paints a surprisingly different picture. As it turns out, Tudyk’s aversion to Uncharted 4 might have less to do with any behind-the-scenes drama and more to do with something far more fundamental: the shape of PlayStation’s buttons.

The curious case of Alan Tudyk and Naughty Dog

Back in 2014, Tudyk was set to lend his considerable talents to Uncharted 4 in an undisclosed role. However,...

The gaming industry has seen its fair share of creative shake-ups, but few have sparked as much curiosity (and controversy) as Amy Hennig’s departure from Naughty Dog in 2014. As the creative force behind the Uncharted series, Hennig had spent two years crafting Nathan Drake’s swan song before unexpectedly leaving the studio.

Amy Hennig, the mother of the Uncharted franchise. | Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences/YouTube

What followed was a fascinating tale of “what could have been.” With Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley stepping in fresh off their success with The Last of Us, many elements of Hennig’s original vision were reimagined or completely scrapped.

But just how different was the Uncharted 4 we got from the one Hennig had planned?

Amy Hennig’s Original Vision for Uncharted 4

While the core DNA of Uncharted 4 remained largely intact through its development transition, some key elements underwent dramatic changes. In Hennig’s version,...

The gaming industry’s rumor mill is spinning at full speed following Troy Baker’s reported return to Naughty Dog. While the veteran voice actor’s upcoming reunion with Neil Druckmann has sparked inevitable speculation about Uncharted 5, the reality might be a bit more complicated than fans are willing to admit.

A scene from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. | Image Credit: Naughty Dog

After all, Uncharted isn’t just about snappy one-liners and death-defying leaps across ancient ruins. At its core, it’s the product of a very specific creative vision—one that came from someone who hasn’t been part of Naughty Dog for quite some time.

And while Baker’s talent for bringing characters to life is undeniable, there’s an argument to be made that some treasures are better left in their final resting place.

The Uncharted Legacy: Way More Than Just Star Power

According to GQ Magazine...

The gaming industry has seen its fair share of high-profile departures, but few have sparked as much speculation and controversy as Amy Hennig’s exit from Naughty Dog in 2014. The creative force behind the Uncharted series left the studio under mysterious circumstances, taking with her nearly eight months of work on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

Amy Hennig, the mother of the Uncharted franchise. | Image Credit: @Sonaratv/Wikimedia Commons

While Hennig has consistently maintained a diplomatic stance about her departure, citing only “creative differences,” her rare comments about her final days at the studio paint a picture of an increasingly demanding environment. In a revealing 2019 interview, she opened up about the toll that game development was taking on developers, though she carefully avoided pointing fingers.

The Fiasco That Was Hennig’s Naughty Dog Exit

When news broke of Amy Hennig‘s departure, the industry was stunned. Here was the...

The gaming industry is no stranger to behind-the-scenes drama, but few controversies have sparked as much debate as the internal shake-ups at Naughty Dog during the transition between The Last of Us and Uncharted 4. While the studio has delivered hit after hit, the path to success hasn’t always been smooth sailing.

A scene from Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. | Image Credit: Naughty Dog

A Hollywood writer’s previous candid interview about his scrapped vision for the Uncharted movie has reignited discussions about one of gaming’s most contentious periods. His words not only shed light on what could have been but also stirred up old controversies about creative ownership and studio politics.

When Hollywood Met Naughty Dog

Back in 2016, when the Uncharted movie was still in its early stages, Hollywood writer Joe Carnahan had a different vision for Nathan Drake’s big-screen debut. His R-rated take on the...

In the high-stakes world of video game development, few stories have sparked as much controversy and speculation as the departure of Amy Hennig from Naughty Dog in 2014. The acclaimed writer and director, known for her work on the Uncharted series, left the studio under mysterious circumstances, leading to a whirlwind of rumors and accusations.

Amy Hennig, creator of the Uncharted franchise. | Image Credit: @Sonaratv/Wikimedia Commons

At the center of this storm stood Neil Druckmann, fresh off the success of The Last of Us, and suddenly thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. But what really happened behind the closed doors of one of gaming’s most prestigious studios? And how did this incident spark a wave of unjustifiable hate that continues to this day?

The Uncharted Territory of Studio Politics To say the studio has had its “fair” share of controversy is an understatement. | Image Credit: Naughty...

HBO’s award-winning post-apocalyptic TV series, The Last of Us made waves ever since it premiered in 2023. Based on Naughty Dog’s video game franchise of the same name, the show was created by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin.

However, what most fans don’t know is that the show wouldn’t exist if not for another HBO miniseries. Druckmann, who was the writer and studio head of Naughty Dog, wasn’t planning to take the game onscreen. It was Mazin’s Chernobyl that had such a powerful impact on the writer that he immediately agreed to collaborate with the director.

Disaster Meets Dystopia: The miniseries which inspired The Last of Us‘ TV debut

The Last of Us video game series was first released in 2013 and followed by several additions. Created by Naughty Dog‘s studio head Neil Druckmann and game director Bruce Straley, it became widely popular among PlayStation users.

The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann, while talking about the inspirations for his widely celebrated game, shed light upon a BBC show that inspired him the most, to an extent where he claims to have ripped it off.

Neil Druckmann sheds light on what inspired The Last of Us. Image Credit: Naughty Dog

The Last of Us was released back in 2013. The game received a lot of acclaim as it redefined the way stories could be told through the medium games. Druckmann managed to create a highly emotional and indulgent universe by ripping off this BBC show.

Neil Druckmann And His Biggest Inspiration For The Last of Us Neil Druckmann was one of the creators of The Last of Us. Image Credit: Sony

While reflecting on his inspirations for The Last of Us, Druckmann reflected on all the things that he went through during the development of the game.

When it comes to crafting emotionally gripping, cinematic experiences in video games, few studios can hold a candle to Naughty Dog. The developer behind the Uncharted series and The Last of Us has consistently pushed the boundaries of interactive storytelling, delivering games that feel more like blockbuster movies than your typical run-and-gun fare.

The Last of Us tells a deeply resonant tale that stays with players. | Image Credit: Naughty Dog

But what is it about Naughty Dog’s approach that sets them apart? As it turns out, the answer may lie not just in the world of gaming, but in the hallowed halls of Hollywood.

No Country for Old Clickers

In a 2013 interview with GamesBeat, The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann revealed a surprising source of inspiration for the game’s narrative and emotional depth: the Coen Brothers’ neo-western thriller, No Country for Old Men.

Druckmann, discussing the...

When The Last of Us first came out, creative director Neil Druckmann made a deliberate decision to mislead players about certain aspects of the game’s story, a choice that has gone relatively unexamined until now.

Neil Druckmann. | Image Credits: Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 | Wikimedia Commons.

When the game was released in 2013, it quickly became one of the most successful titles in gaming. Central to its success was the unique dynamic between Joel and Ellie, which transformed what could have been a typical escort mission into something none of us expected.

Neil Druckmann’s Trickery Was a Genius Move

In an interview with VentureBeat, creators Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley talked about their deception. From the start, Druckmann and Straley decided to lie about certain aspects of the game in interviews.

Here are things we will lie about in interviews. If somebody asks,“Do you play as Ellie?...

The Last of Us is a beloved action-adventure game set in the post-apocalyptic world. The game boasts impressive graphics and engaging gameplay, but what makes this game feel more immersive and connected are the 2 main characters: Joel and Ellie. The bond both of them created during their epic journey of escaping the military quarantine zone is what makes the game so epic.

The bond between Joel and Ellie immersed players into the game’s narrative. | Image Credit: Naughty Dog

However, not many fans know that the idea behind Ellie came when Neil Druckmann, Lead Writer and Co-Director, was discussing a potential female mute character in Uncharted 2 (which didn’t happen). However, the idea remained stuck in his mind, so when discussing the next project (The Last of Us), the game’s concept and the character of Ellie were born, the rest is history.

How Revisiting an Old Concept Gave Birth...

The Last of Us is an award-winning game set in the post-apocalyptic world where players follow Joel and Ellie. They are roaming the world to find the cure for the modern fungal plague which killed most of the population. The storytelling and the gameplay of the game were what made it very popular and an instant classic in the gaming industry.

According to Neil Druckmann, creative director and writer of The Last of Us, the first idea for the game’s story was so bad that they had to rework the whole premise. Studio gave them the time to rethink then he and Bruce Straley came up with the story everyone loved.

Original Idea behind The Last of Us

The Last of Us story was very different | Naughty Dog’s Last of Us

At the start of the development, the Last of Us story was very different as it was...

The Uncharted movie sequel is moving along with its planned production according to star Mark Wahlberg.

In the first Uncharted, released in 2022, Wahlberg played Victor "Sully" Sullivan, mentor to Tom Holland's Nathan Drake. While producers have teased a desire to make a sequel, one hasn't been officially announced at this time, leaving it unclear if Uncharted 2 will really happen. Now, per The Direct, Wahlberg shared how the sequel is in fact still moving along, revealing that the screenplay has since been finished. He also teased how the sequel will have him looking more like the video game version of Sully by growing out his facial hair, as teased by the first movie's post-credits scene.

Related Mission: Impossible 7 Called Out By Uncharted Director 2 Over Familiar Action Scene Uncharted 2 director Bruce Straley spotlights the similarities between the PlayStation game and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1.

"I've heard lots of different ideas [for Uncharted 2]," Wahlberg said.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One director Christopher McQuarrie shuts down reports that he was inspired by the Uncharted video game franchise for the film's climactic train sequence. In the latest installment in the long-running action franchise, Tom Cruise returns to face off against a dangerous new AI threat. After a number of jaw-dropping stunts, the film's third act features Cruise and costar Hayley Atwell escaping from a train as individual cars slowly fall off a cliff, with some noticing similarities between the set piece and a similar sequence in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

Now, however, McQuarrie has addressed the Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One ending train sequence in a reply to a fan on Threads, confirming that it wasn't at all inspired by Uncharted. Check out his reply below:

"Did you play or were influenced by Uncharted for *that* scene?...

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One star Hayley Atwell recently revealed why she and her fellow cast members laughed while leading man Tom Cruise performed his most dangerous stunt.

Atwell explained that Cruise's Dead Reckoning Part One co-stars giggled as he jumped his motorbike off a mountain because they were blown away by his daring in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I think it was just the exasperation," she said. "We'd heard about this, and we'd seen him in preparation and training for it. We'd seen the engineers design and build that ramp at that location. We'd seen him that morning jump off the helicopter over that precipice to test the wind, and so the laughter came out of just awe. A man was risking his life for the movie and to delight his audiences."

Related: Mission: Impossible 7 Director Says Anyone Involved Can Yell 'Cut' On...

Bruce Straley, one of the pivotal figures behind the 2009 PlayStation 3 sensation, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, recently accused the latest Mission: Impossible movie, Dead Reckoning Part One, of imitating a significant action sequence from the game.

Straley's remarks have stirred up a lively discussion, blurring the lines between cinematic inspiration and outright replication. The Mission: Impossible franchise, led by veteran actor Tom Cruise, has received widespread recognition for its high-stakes, adrenaline-infused adventures. The latest installment is no exception, with audiences and critics alike lavishing praise on the new film.

One of the standout set pieces in this chapter is a dramatic motorcycle cliff jump performed by Cruise himself, a stunt which underlines the film's commitment to breathtaking, high-octane action sequences. Another such sequence is a harrowing climb up a dangling train car - a stunt that may feel uncannily familiar to those who are acquainted with the Uncharted gaming series.

Taking to Twitter,...

As Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One finally lands in theaters, Uncharted 2 director Bruce Straley pointed out one action scene that he found particularly familiar.

The acclaimed game designer took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the film, posting a side-by-side comparison between a scene in Dead Reckoning and Uncharted 2. Both action set pieces feature a derailed train dangling off a cliff with Straley pointing out several shots in particular that are very familiar, including one of Tom Cruise holding onto a passenger seat in a manner reminiscent of Nathan Drake. After leading with a pondering emoji, the director simply captions his tweet with, "... the sincerest form of flattery!" alluding to a common phrase regarding mimicry. Many fans were quick to point out that they also thought of Uncharted 2 upon seeing the train sequence in Mission: Impossible​​​​​.

Related: Mission: Impossible Isn't Bond, but Another Major Franchise...

Warning! Major spoilers ahead for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One's train sequence and it's possible homage to the Uncharted video game franchise gets a glowing review from the game's co-director, Bruce Straley. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the latest Mission: Impossible film sees Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt return to track down a rogue AI threat known as The Entity. After a handful of breathtaking stunts, the film's climactic action sequence involves Hunt and Grace (Hayley Atwell) facing off against Gabriel (Esai Morales) on a steam train, with the locomotive eventually hanging off a cliff as cars slowly fall to the ravine below.

In a new tweet, Straley posts side-by-side comparisons of shots from Mission: Impossible 7's ending train sequence and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves's own train sequence, which features a similar setup.

Original video game voice and performance actor, Troy Baker, recently revealed that HBO's The Last of Us television adaptation could have starred Josh Brolin as Joel. Based on the popular PlayStation video game of the same name, the zombie horror drama stars Pedro Pascal as hardened survivor Joel Miller, a smuggler tasked with safely transporting foul-mouthed 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States. Although Joel initially wanted nothing to do with his human cargo, he soon realized her significance when Ellie reveals she carries an immunity to the fungal infection plaguing the world.

While speaking with ComicBook.com on their The Last of Pods podcast, Baker revealed that Avengers: Endgame star, Josh Brolin, could have played Joel in The Last of Us. Prior to casting for the live-action adaptation, game and show creator Neil Druckmann asked Baker who he thought would make a great on-screen Joel. Baker admitted that...

The history of video game cinema is littered with fascinating what-ifs when it comes to the movies that were never made. George A. Romero's "Resident Evil" and Gore Verbinski's "Bioshock" are the stuff of legend, while David O. Russell's vision for "Uncharted" — which was put into development back when Russell's name wasn't mud — was certainly a far cry from the final version of the film. If nothing else, it would have featured a whole lot less parkour.

Not as well-remembered but perhaps just as notable is Sam Raimi's "The Last of Us," a film that would've seen the "Evil Dead" and "Spider-Man" helmer try his hand at bringing directors Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann's touchstone post-apocalyptic survival horror video game to life on the big screen. Screen Gems and Raimi's Ghost House Pictures boarded the movie in March 2014, less than a year after the...

During the development of 2013's The Last of Us, creators Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley began compiling a list of music that fit the mood of what they were going for. When it came time to find a composer to bring the music of their bleak world to life, they realized many of the tracks they'd compiled were by Academy Award-winning composer, Gustavo Santaolalla.

Related: The Last Of Us: The 10 Likeliest Characters To Appear On The HBO Show

Naturally, they turned to the Argentine musician, who went on to create the stunningly beautiful soundtracks filled with songs of loss, hope, and beauty. Fans are no doubt eager to hear how he adapts his music for the upcoming HBO series, and here are some of the moments and corresponding songs we hope to hear.

Naughty Dog have revealed the first names casted in the forthcoming The Last of Us: Part II, along with the characters they’re set to portray.

In a series of posts on their social media, the acclaimed studio one-by-one unveiled the names of three of the characters featured in the brand new trailer released yesterday during Paris Games Week.

Ian Alexander, a teenager actor known for starring in The Oa TV series, will portray Lev, Victoria Grace, who starred in the 2013 film 47 Ronin, is Yara, and Emily Swallow, a TV actress known for The Mentalist and The Good Wife, will be Emily.

Laura Bailey, who has also starred in Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4, will also portray a character not revealed by the studio.

Writer-director Neil Druckmann revealed shortly after the release of the new trailer, that the sequel to the 2013 critically acclaimed The Last of Us is now in “full...

The Last of Us: Part II is now officially in “full production”, its writer-director today confirmed.

A brand new trailer for the highly anticipated sequel to the 2013 critically acclaimed The Last of Us was today released during PlayStation’s Paris Games Week to a rapturous response.

Shortly after the trailer, writer-director, and Naughty Dog Creative Director, Neil Druckmann, briefly offered a few details of the upcoming apocalyptic thriller sequel in a video package.

“The entire studio is now on The Last of Us: Part II, we’re in full production,” said Druckmann.

“The Last of Us, at its heart, is about Joel and Ellie and their journey, but it’s also an ensemble piece with all these other characters fitting into that theme and this time we wanted to focus on some of the other really important characters.

“Last year at the PlayStation Experience, we talked about the theme of...

Bruce Straley, co-director of The Last Of Us and multiple Uncharted games, is stepping away from Naughty Dog. The 18-year Naughty Dog vet broke the news via a heartfelt post on the developer’s website today, saying that “after heading up three extremely demanding projects, and taking some extended time away from the…

Read more...

Bruce Straley is departing Naughty Dog after 18 years with the studio.

The Last of Us director took to Naughty Dog’s website today to announce he would be leaving the studio following “three demanding projects” and “extended time away” to focus on “other directions”.

“This has been the hardest decision of my career,” wrote Straley. “Naughty Dog is home. The Kennel is family. I’ve learned and grown so much from working with this incredible team. But after heading up three extremely demanding projects, and taking some extended time away from the office, I found my energy focusing in other directions, and I slowly realised this was the signal that it’s time to move on.

“I’m leaving Naughty Dog with the strongest team it’s ever had, and that’s saying a lot. But more than the talent, it’s the people that I’ll miss the most.

Uncharted 4 took home Best Game at the BAFTA Games Awards last night.

Naughty Dog’s fourth and final instalment in the action-adventure series took home Best Game, making it the fifth win for the series having previously won Best Game in 2010 for Uncharted 2.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions of hundreds of people at Naughty Dog,” said Arne Meyer, Director of Communications at Naughty Dog, who took to the stage last night at Tobacco Dock, London, alongside voice actors and fellow nominees Troy Baker and Nolan North, and also Scott Hanau of Sony.

“Particular our co-directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley, the support of our co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Valestra, of course also to our partners at PlayStation…..without their support we wouldn’t have been able to really do the final chapter [of the] Nathan Drake story the way that we would’ve wanted too.”

“The game...

Last night, the Visual Effects Society handed out their awards at their annual gathering. It was mainly a good night for The Jungle Book, which took the top prize, known as Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature. It beat back Doctor Strange, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, while at the Academy Awards, it’ll be up against Deepwater Horizon, Doctor Strange, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It was an expected win, but one that was eagerly awaited to try and figure out the Oscar category of Best Visual Effects. The Jungle Book ended up with five prizes in total, easily besting the rest of the bunch. As mentioned above, this top award ties directly into the Visual Effects category at the Oscars. Nine out of the...

“The Jungle Book” is on its way to VFX Oscar gold after getting five Ves nods Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton. “Rogue One,” the “Star Wars” standalone, however, came away empty-handed after receiving seven nominations.

Innovative Disney hybrid “The Jungle Book” won for outstanding feature, King Louie’s animated performance, virtual cinematography, effects simulations, and compositing.

Laika’s Oscar-nominated “Kubo and the Two Strings” earned VFX animation props, “Deepwater Horizon” took supporting VFX and model work for Industrial Light & Magic, and “Game of Thrones: Battle of the Bastards” continued its TV dominance.

Disney’s “Moana” grabbed two animation awards (created environment and simulations), Pixar won for Hank’s animated performance, and Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” won for its New York City environment

The Ves Visionary Award went to Victoria Alonso, producer and Marvel Studios Evp of physical production. Five-time Oscar winner Ken Ralston (“Return of the Jedi” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?...

Matthew Byrd John Saavedra Oct 24, 2019

Everything we know about The Last of Part 2, including latest news, release date, trailers, and much more!

Yes, one of the greatest games of the previous console generation is getting a sequel. Fans hoped that Naughty Dog might find a way to return to the world of The Last of Us, but the nature of the original game's ending left some to speculate that the developers had said all there was to say about the adventure of Ellie and Joel.

It's not entirely clear exactly what the story will be this time around, but the ominous and fearful tone of Ellie's looming threats suggest that this will be a story of revenge. The recipient of said revenge seems to be fairly obvious based on context clues in the trailer, but in the interest of not completely outlining the ending of the original game, we will...

Neil Druckmann, Creative Director at Naughty Dog and one of the lead developers who worked on The Last of Us, has cast doubt over Sony’s feature film adaptation.

Word comes by way of IGN, where Druckmann was quizzed about the progress of the movie while promoting next month’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Early signs may have been positive, during a time when Game of Thrones starlet Maisie Williams had been linked with the coveted role of Ellie, but fast forward a year and change and Druckmann appears less confident, conceding that The Last of Us film has slipped in development hell “like these things tend to do.”

Per IGN:

“I know I said in an interview a while back we had a table read, got the script to a good place and it kind of entered development hell like these things tend to do. There hasn...

Our long national nightmare is over! After several delays, Naughty Dog has announced that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has officially gone gold. The highly-anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusive is set to launch on May 10.

Originally announced back in 2013, waiting for the return of Nathan Drake has felt longer than it really has been. Uncharted 4 was originally announced for a 2015 release, but that date was soon realized to be a bit of a pipe dream. Following that initial delay, Sony stated that the sequel would arrive on March 18. In January, though, the adventure was once again pushed back, this time until April. Finally, Naughty Dog announced earlier this month that the release date of the game changed again, this time until the final May 10 date.

It certainly hasn’t been easy for the folks at Naughty Dog. Not only have they had to deal with the pressure of successfully wrapping up the franchise,...

Naughty Dog

Thankfully, after months of delays, speculation and varying amounts of hype, fans got their hands on the final build of Uncharted 4 this past weekend, and man, is it shaping up nicely indeed.

Naughty Dog aren’t one not to knock it clear out the park (seriously, have they had a single bad game?), but thankfully, although the Uncharted series has already accrued quite the gaming pedigree, they’ve amended the tiniest of fixes and implemented changes you didn’t even know you wanted, providing the best-playing Uncharted yet.

Although it’s true Naughty Dog’s development cycle was fraught with personnel changes, setbacks and at one point, an entire script rewrite by The Last of Us guys, Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley, what’s emerged is a very promising package in all respects. And that’s a damn good thing, because it recently got yet another delay, setting...

See Full Gallery Here

If Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End really is to go down as Naughty Dog’s last foray at the helm of the series, then Creative Director Neil Druckmann wants to send off Nathan Drake on a very, very high note.

In an interview with the New York Times, Druckmann touched base on closing out Drake’s adventure. Having worked all across the series – most notably on Among Thieves – with Bruce Straley, it represents the end of an era for the game designer, though Druckmann believes the time is right to bring the curtain down on Nate and Co..

It’s time. Sometimes, a character just lets you know it’s time to move on. For me, that was part of the intrigue of coming back to this world. You never see something successful in the industry end. It usually just fizzles out.

As for the...

Originally slated to arrive in mid-March, developer Naughty Dog today confirmed plans to postpone the launch of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End by little over a month, meaning the PS4 exclusive is now on course for a release on April 26, 2016 and April 27 across North America and Europe, respectively.

Word comes by way of PlayStation Blog, where Creative Director Neil Druckmann and Game Director Bruce Straley explained the studio’s reasoning behind the sequel’s second delay.

This is our largest Uncharted game to date, and the team has been working incredibly hard to meet the challenge of closing out the game’s development in a timely manner. However, as we approached our final deadlines and started wrapping up the game’s levels, we realized that several key sequences needed extra resources to bring them to the finish line. After carefully considering all of our options, we decided to extend our schedule,...

Sony PlayStation and developer Naughty Dog have announced that the upcoming "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" has been delayed again - though thankfully this time only a small one.

Originally slated for a March 18th debut, it will instead drop on April 26th. Creative director Neil Druckmann and game director Bruce Straley released the following statement:

"Let's start with the good news: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is wrapping up production and is shaping up to be the proper send off for Nathan Drake that we've promised you. The bad news is that we need a bit more time to finish the game so that it meets our standards and vision. Let's cut to the chase, 'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End' has a new release date in North America of April 26, 2016.

This is our largest Uncharted game to date, and the team has been working incredibly hard to meet the...

Naughty Dog may be riding the crest of a wave at this point in time, buoyed by the glittering success of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, but there was a time when Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End appeared in trouble.

Back in March 2014, writer and director Amy Hennig – a talent that had been synonymous with the studio’s action-adventure franchise – abruptly parted ways with Nd before finding a new home in Visceral Games. Naturally, this led to many questions being directed in Naughty Dog’s direction and quite frankly, very few – if any – of the them have been answered. Upon drafting in The Last of Us alum Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley during development, A Thief’s End was subject to several script changes – script changes that “didn’t sit well” with Firefly actor Alan Tudyk.

Speaking candidly with IGN, Tudyk confirmed that he opted to quit the sequel shortly after Hennig’s departure,...

All good things must come to a close and for swash-buckling adventurer Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will be the proper conclusion fans have asked for, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann says.

Since its original delay from late 2015 to the spring of next year, Uncharted 4 has taken up a great deal of the studio’s time, even sidelining its ideas for a sequel to 2013’s The Last of Us. It was a decision that it didn’t make lightly, says Druckmann.

“It was a very hard decision,” Druckmann said in an interview with Official Playstation Magazine. “The Last Of Us was the first game we ever delayed – by a month – and we felt so guilty and so horrible having to do that, and yet shipping a game that wasn’t up to our vision would have felt worse. Much of the development and figuring things out happens as we go.

Now that its existence is all but confirmed – after shipping over 8 million units, it’s practically guaranteed – Naughty Dog has begun to talk slightly more openly in relation to The Last of Us 2. At least in terms of brainstorming ideas for the sequel, that is.

In the latest issue of Official PlayStation Magazine (via GamesRadar), Creative Director Neil Druckmann spoke briefly about the follow-up, which has largely been kept under wraps ever since the studio pumped out the original, heart-wrenching tale of Joel and Ellie. What’s interesting, though, is that Druckmann notes that both he and Bruce Straley mapped out potential avenues for The Last of Us with and without the two main protagonists, fuelling the convincing rumors that a sequel could center on an entirely new branch of the studio’s apocalypse.

“The answer is – and this is totally honest, and I’ve said this in the past...

Widely considered to be one of – if not the – best game’s of last generation, Naughty Dog struck a chord with The Last of Us, a post-apocalyptic tale of survival lined with engaging characters, nerve-shredding moments and a wonderfully realized game world. It may came to your surprise, then, that prior to release the studio believed that the new IP “was going to tank.”

Speaking during PlayStation’s ongoing Conversations with Creators web series, Co-Director Bruce Straley even went so far as to the say that he worried the third-person adventure game would tarnish the Naughty Dog brand.

“We though it was going to tank. We thought we were going to ruin the name and image [of Naughty Dog] that’s been so heartily built for years with blood, sweat, and tears,” he explained. “We thought we were ruining Naughty Dog’s image.”

It’s a frank admission from a studio that prizes itself on genre-defining releases.