This came out of left field, but according to a report by Bloomberg, Naughty Dog is in the process of working on a remake of their acclaimed 2013 blockbuster title The Last of Us for the PlayStation 5. However, what might be just as big is the fact that Naughty Dog weren’t the ones originally working on the remake.
According to the report, Sony had originally recruited a group of about 30 developers, internally and from neighboring game studios, to form a new development unit within the company. The idea for the team (which didn’t have a name) was to “expand upon some of the company’s most successful franchises”, one of which was The Last of Us.
However, Sony never acknowledged that the team existed, or provided them with funding and support. Eventually, this team was disbanded, and the reins of the remake (which apparently is still in production) were handed over to Naughty Dog.
There’s more to this report, including the sad news that we probably won’t be seeing a follow-up to Sony Bend Studios’ open world zombie epic, Days Gone. The article goes on to say that Sony’s focus on exclusive blockbuster titles “has come at the expense of niche teams and studios within the PlayStation organization”.
The extent of that was in 2019, where Sony Bend pitched an idea for a sequel to Days Gone, but were rebuffed, due to the long development and mixed critical reception (including from us). This was all despite the game being profitable.
Instead, Bend Studio were asked to help Naughty Dog develop a new Uncharted title, to which Bend Studio asked to be removed from the project over fears that they would be absorbed into Naughty Dog. The team are currently now working on their own title.
While the article doesn’t delve into details for the Uncharted game, or the upcoming The Last of Us remake, it does seem that Sony seems to be treading a line that for some gamers might not be the best course of action. Time will tell, however.
Currently, we’re waiting on the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, which will begin shooting in Alberta, Canada this July.