Naughty Dog Boss Neil Druckmann Doesn't Want to Make Games Forever

Not really sad to see him go anymore. The sooner the better, so he wont ruin any more franchises.

Good news this morning!

Definitely not complaining here

Top 10 most influential game developers, can't wait to see what he's cooking next. Extremely biased.

Why do gamers seem to hate this guy? Serious question - what did I miss?

@Atreus97 You’ve got the fact there’s so many who were gutted he killed off Joel and the phobic community hating on Abby/Lev.

But in reality, the guy’s an absolute genius and both Joel dying and Abby’s character were some of the greatest inclusions into the franchise.

@itsfoz Even if I agreed with you, and I obviously don't, shall I tell you where they went wrong? Not giving you the option to kill her at the end.
Doesn't matter if its canon or not. People were denied a satisfactory ending. Instead they got to see Ellie alone with no fingers strumming badly at a guitar. You may think that is satisfactory writing, I think that Ellie wouldn't have given up so easily and it is contrived that she does.
Just my opinion though.

Can't wait to see him quit.

He got a taste of Hollywood and now he wants more of it. Maybe the last of us 3 is his swan song.

Awwww - I was really holding out for TLOU HD 2.5 Remix.

Great news! He won't be missed.

He always created movies to begin with - interrupted here and there's by some linear gaming. So Hollywood is his place definitely

@Atreus97 It's just the reason of how poorly they handled a character's death and how Ellie turned into a silent killing machine instead of the energized and cuss loving character in the first game. A lot of fans of the game will tell you that, "Oh they just hated it because Joel dies" when that really is not the case.

I thought the story of TLOU2 was perfect. Even better than part 1. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I hope he does a part 3 one day and I trust it will be great, too

Don't worry about him... There will be TLOU re-remaster, TLOU 2 re-remaster, TLOU re-remastered-again, TLOU 2 remastered remaster ...

I sit here reading these comments (over my bowl of Rice Krispies) of unbelievable hatred towards him and I think, yeah get out Sir.
You deserve much better.
You helped create some of the best video game stories EVER, ones that touch our very souls and brought forth so much emotion and yet the ungrateful just gush so much hatred towards you.

Truly unbelievable.

@LifeGirl Well, if I was Neil with an absolute winner of an IP, I wouldn’t want to end the lives or stories of my biggest characters until I knew the franchise was definitely at its end. In other words, I think he knew this was a trilogy from the start but given recent hacks over the years and fan abuse, didn’t want to announce anything too early and saved his teams from said abuse and hacks.

@themightyant
There's nothing bizarre or sinister about people not regretting a person whose output they don't like leaving a company. And that's exactly what's being expressed here.

I think we deserve nothing but live service games with endless monetization with some of the stupid comments left here.

@themightyant It just comes across as incredibly immature. It's possible to disagree with certain decisions without completely dismissing someone's merits, or disliking someone's work without turning to insults or outright hatred. But not everyone seems capable of that.

Anyway, his credentials speak for themselves. He's been involved with 4 of the best games Naughty Dog have ever made, either as co-writer, co-lead writer, or co-director: Uncharted 2 and 4 and The Last of Us 1 and 2. The fact that he wasn't involved in any role in by far the most disjointed game they've made from a writing and directing point of view, Uncharted 3, also tells me much.

I'm not surprised he's thinking about how many more he's got left in him. These games are taking an incredibly long time to make these days, and it's probably not going to get shorter. But I think he's got at least one original IP game (something he's currently working on?) and a third The Last of Us game in him.

@itsfoz oof, spoiler warning!

@Atreus97
He's starting sniffing so much of his own farts, he's overdosed and ruined TLOU2 in some way.
I still think it was close to a masterpiece, but that technical team can make everything a masterpiece.
The story was just typical Redditor mental gymnastics who lashes out against "haters" who happen to be kids

@themightyant yep you have to be a certain type to get so invested in a bunch of polygons 🙈

Sounds good to me. He always reminded me as (to reference southpark) someone who sniffs his own farts and calls it art

I don't get the hate towards a guy who created great games. Could it be because people are addicted to micro transactions and his games aren't full of it?

@Martijn87 @gpimlott couldn’t agree more , well said

@Rhaoulos gamers like actual video games & not interactive movies , who knew ? 😂

The recent Grounded II documentary was sobering to watch; considering how the TLoU2 leaks and death threats impacted him and the sort of attitudes evidently still prevalent in certain sections of the community years later, I'm not surprised he's thinking about getting away from it in future.

I think another reason people may not be too fond of him is how Amy Hennig was pushed out and he took control of everything. Obviously, we don’t know the full story but that was a turning point for sure. After that, Naughty Dog effectively became the Druckmann show.

@InsaneWade Ah, beat me to it by a minute! 😅

@itsfoz That's what I'm saying, people's phobia and huge attachment to Joel made them blind to how beautiful the story is. It's was an emotional ride from start to finish and the gameplay was amazing. I guess we can't have nice things thanks to the gaming community's prejudice and phobia

The Last of Us 2 was absolutely brilliant.

Jesus, it shocks me to this day how much mouth foaming hate this guy takes. He's one of the best of the video game industry. Hopefully Druckmann can make one or two big games, and then make smaller ones after that, but remains making games. He's too valuable to lose.

@Ainu20 I'm also hoping that he gets to make TLoU3 as a new IP as his last "big games". After that, I hope he gets to make smaller ones, but remains making games.

I actually preferred Part 2 to 1. My only problem with Part 2 in my eyes, was the games ending was a bit bloated and went on a bit too long. Also, regarding Abby, if someone killed my father, you bet your ass I'm going for revenge too

Part 2 proved the man is a brave storyteller, not afraid to make you feel uncomfortable, repulsed or even angry and frustrated. Personally, I'm looking forward to whatever he does next. Though I do hope he stays in videogames.

@Swirly Yeah, that is my main criticism of it as well, it drags. Too many drawn out combat encounters, which means that by the time you get to the final act, you're pretty exhausted. It's a minor criticism in the grand scheme of things for me personally, doesn't make me love the game any less, but it's still there.

Of course the 4chan basement dwellers are over the moon at the news, but for most people its a bit of a shame (but understandable) to hear, the guy wasn't afraid to make bold choices, push stories / games / characters forward in a way nobody would expect, and quite often as a massive FU to the loud minority and will leave a legacy that is, nobody will ever forget the games and stories he made.

It really doesn't get any better than that for anyone in the games / entertainment industry.

@ZhuckelDror my thoughts exactly.

Especially considering the toxic reactions from “fans” the Last of Us has garnered since Part 2… You can hardly blame the guy for considering retirement soon.

Who wants to do stuff forever.if you are a sports star.a celebrity etc.i want to spend time with family and friends and a wife or girlfriend.you want to have more fun with your life.word up son

@LifeGirl

I might be wrong, but I believe that you have completely missed the point of the story.

If you remember, Joel killed Abby’s father. He was a doctor in the hospital, in Seattle, A firefly. He also killed Marlene. Did she deserve to die?

So Abby tracks down Joel, and kills him in revenge.

So Ellie tracks her down, kills hundreds of people, to reach Abby. And then spares her life. She wanted the cycle of revenge and violence to end.

I wonder how many people Ellie had already killed in her short life? Let’s start with that town full of cannibals.

I think Ellie just wanted to try to regain some of her humanity, because without that people are really no better than the infected “monsters”.

This is just my opinion, though. That is how I see it.

@InsaneWade @VeldinX And then Amy Henning wrote the story's for Battlefield Hardline and Forspoken. Both are regarded as trash and both flopped.

The guy had one good story in him and the unnecessary follow-up was idiotic. I'm fine with him retiring whenever he'd like to.

Would someone please explain to me why this guy deserves so much animosity?

Do I think TLoU2 could have been more cohesive and have a more satisfying ending? Sure. Do I think either the story should have ended when Ellie first got to the farm or Ellie should have died saving Abby? Yes.

Do I think the story, as it is, is some affront to my existence? No. You know why? Because I'm adult who knows how to compartmentalize mild disappointment.

This is a human being who has put more creative energy into his work than any of us could ever dream of. Neil has earned his success.

@ear_wig
Well maybe he should've made a game that the fans were more or less expecting him to make instead of intentionally going against the grain to generate controversy for the sake of cheap hype?

@ZhuckelDror Disagree, creatives should not just make what fans want or expect them to make. They create the games that they feel they want or need to create, and it's up to every individual to decide for themselves whether they want to play them. We don't get to make demands about story or direction.

@Ainu20
And I agree with that. They have right to do that. But then neither they nor they supporters should be surprised about the backlash. Simple as.

@ZhuckelDror I'm sure they expected that not everyone was going to like what they were going for, but the viciousness and brutality of the backlash is not something we should consider normal or expected. There are no excuses for that.

TLoU is one of my favorite story and character driven games I've ever play and many times too. I also completed Part 2 at launch and the remake recently. I don't agree with the political biases or agenda at NaughtyDog but I don't let that get in the way of playing a masterful work of art. I wish Joel's story was different but it's not. Is part 2 a bad game? Not in the slightest. Experiencing Part 2 the second time around was much better especially with the developer commentary on, really took my time and absorbed the story. What ppl don't realize is Druckmann is responsible for creating a new monster creature brand, while pushing women to the front of portraying the protagonist and antagonist. Reminds me a lot of Ridley Scott with ALIEN, ALIENS and Sigorney Weaver vs the Queen "female" xenomorph so with that said we should expect TLoU to be around a long time.

@themightyant It seems like it is the same vocal minority that hate TLOU 2 and will defend that position to the end. Clearly there is a lot of love for TLOU 2, otherwise it would not sell so well. I love Druckmann, and it is totally far to not like TLOU 2 but it isn't fair to call it a bad game or call Druckmann a bad game designer.

Part II’s main issue was that it was very poorly paced. It’s a good game otherwise.

@JaBrony123 @SamMR

These comments are perfect examples of why there is so much vitriol. People have been very, very specific about why they don't like the Last of Us 2 and then it gets reduced to them being... phobes. There is plenty of criticism of the game (the structure of the story, the themes, it's length, the way it betrays the character arcs of the first, the retconning of the doctor, etc...) that is completely ignored in the debate. Don't like the game? You must be an "ist" or a "phobe."

Stating that there is a small vocal minority that hates the game and will defend their position to the end implies that there is an irrationality to disliking the game. That the only logical position is to like it and not liking it means there is something wrong with the way you think. It is absolutely fair to call it a bad game and Neil a bad game designer and there are plenty of videos and articles that make the assertion and then offer the proof. You want to disagree? Fine, defend your position.

Want to bring the vitriol down? Stop acting like people are being childish for not liking the game and not liking what Neil decided to do with a character they cared about. Most important, stop assuming that people didn't like the game because they are a bigot.

@Ambassador_Kong Exactly this, It's fine if you like TLOU2 but when you're treating people like they're "phobic" or dismiss their opinion as "They just dont like this character dying" because they dont like the way the story is handled this is what you are gonna get.

@Nepp67
People are too entitled to their own opinion nowadays.

@ZhuckelDror You’re assuming a whole lot about his intentions. The job of an artist is to challenge expectations and bring something new into the world. Obviously there is risk involved with that, in terms of alienating their audience, but the point I’m making is that gamer culture makes it really hard sometimes for artists to take risks.

Doesn't he mean he doesn't know how many more remasters he has in him?

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

@ear_wig
Well maybe then it's the proper environment for them.

@Ambassador_Kong The idea that the vitriol is merely a reaction to overzealous fans of the game is silly. The vitriol was there from day one, or rather, well before day one. No one should be getting attacked because they don't like the game, or don't like Druckmann as a writer and director, but I don't think that's what this is about.

When people are talking about the vocal minority that hates the game, it's safe to assume they are referring to the more extreme voices in the discourse. Those that aren't happy just to give their opinion on disliking the game, but make it their mission to attack and insult its creators at every turn. We all know they exist. As long as you don't count yourself among them, there's no reason to defend those.

@itsfoz Please the people already ruined the game for me by spoiling everything before the release everywhere even in unrelated articles is it hard to put it make so other don't read it right away spoilers...

Bruce Straley created TLOU.

Neil destroyed it, will be happy to see him go