Naughty Dog has rightfully earned their place alongside the best video game developers of all time. They’ve created fan-favorite gaming franchises including Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us, all of which have become important staples of the gaming world.

Crash Bandicoot made waves as a major step in 3D platformers and grew to become one of gaming’s biggest mascots. Jak and Daxter pushed those 3D platforming boundaries even further by exploring a more open world. Uncharted raised standards for single-player video games with its storytelling as well as evolving platforming and climbing mechanics that have been used in countless games since. The Last of Us created one of the most beautiful and emotional stories in all of gaming while also creating a world that looks lifelike.

Nowadays, though, it seems as though Naughty Dog has lost their creative edge. They have developed some of the most unique and beloved games of all time. In recent years, however, they’ve only been focusing on remaking games that don’t need remakes. All of their games are phenomenal as is; there’s no reason to remake them in the first place. 

What’s even more ridiculous is that the games they’ve been remaking are their most recent ones. The Last of Us Part II came out in 2020, and then The Last of Us Part II Remastered was released in 2024. There’s no need for that. It’s a waste of time and money to release a game and then immediately start making it again. It would have made much more sense to remake or remaster some of their classic games, like the Jak and Daxter series. Even then, it still wouldn’t feel completely necessary if the older games are just made accessible on the likes of PlayStation Network or released in stores as collections.

There have been no signs or announcements that they’re working on anything else outside of remaking both The Last of Us games. They have even announced that they have stopped development on the Last of Us online multiplayer game that was supposedly being made. Other than pointlessly remastering, remaking, or rereleasing their games that had just come out, what have they been doing?

Whatever it is that Naughty Dog is working on, let’s hope it’s a return to their roots in some way. Hopefully they go back to giving fans unique and creative gaming experiences that push boundaries like they used to rather than just focusing all their time and money on pointless remakes.

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