Naughty Dog may be working on a first-person game

Highlights

Naughty Dog may be developing a first-person game, a departure from the usual third-person experiences, but that has yet to be confirmed.
The anticipation for Naughty Dog’s next game is great.

A current job advertisement suggests Naughty dog could be developing a first-person game. The award-winning developer’s next project has long been the subject of mystery and intrigue, but a first-person game would be a real paradigm shift for Naughty Dog, as the company has only developed third-person experiences to date.

Although Naughty Dog is arguably the most prestigious first-party team for PlayStation, the general mood around the studio has soured somewhat in recent years due to the controversial reception of 2020. The Last of Us – Part 2, the consistent release of remasters and remakes since then and the cancellation of the long-awaited The Last of Us Online Project in late 2023. The general silence surrounding Naughty Dog’s future projects also contributes to this, but studio head Neil Druckmann has hinted that The Last of Us Part 3 is in the works, as is another, yet unannounced project that is speculated to be released before the third sequel.

The Last of Us Part 2 - Ellie Guitar - Sad

A new IP from Naughty Dog could be the opposite of The Last of Us, but should it?

Naughty Dog is likely working on a new IP and it will be interesting to see how far the developer deviates from its other flagship series.

There have been rumors for some time that Naughty Dog’s mystery project is a new IP, a first for the studio since 2013 The Last of Us. However, details about this enigmatic game are scarce beyond that, but a new job posting may indicate that it will feature a first-person perspective. A recent job posting for game designers published by Naughty Dog mentions experience with “3rd or 1st person” action-adventure games as a bonus skill for the “brand new single-player game,” which has sparked speculation among fans that the renowned developer is deviating from its pattern of third-person games in its 40-year run. It also adds more excitement to the new IP, as it could be something Naughty Dog has never done before.

Naughty Dog has previously hinted at a future first-person game

Job opening for the first person at Naughty Dog

This assumption is further reinforced by Neil Druckmann’s comments at the DICE 2018 Summit, in which the studio head stated that Naughty Dog is open to making its next game in first-person perspective. Interestingly, Naughty Dog also tested first-person perspective for the 2013 The Last of Usbut ultimately decided to go with a third-person perspective. So there is a historical precedent for Naughty Dog creating a first-person title. Conversely, one could also argue that the job posting simply speaks in a more general sense to attract more applications and is not representative of the project itself.

Whatever the case, there is no doubt that there is a lot of anticipation for Naughty Dog’s next game. If it is indeed played in the first person, it will be interesting to see if it is a mature action-adventure game in line with The Last of Us or Unchartedor more interestingly, a shooter or RPG. Only time will tell, but the next time a Naughty Dog logo appears at a PlayStation event, fans can expect to see something unexpected and new.