If you’re reading this particular Daily Five, you’re likely aware that Naughty Dog has run into a few…let’s call them hiccups. Several key people have left the studio for one reason or another — from key creatives like Amy Hennig andJustin Richmond to voice actors and artists — and suddenly it seems that the sky is falling at Sony’s premier game house and their upcoming Uncharted for PS4.
Well, poppycock. I certainly understand if you’re worried about the state of the new Uncharted after all of these departures, but take heart — the game will be just fine. Don’t believe me? Let me give you a few reasons why.
Naughty Dog is a Veteran Studio
What should be the most obvious reason is that this is hardly Naughty Dog’s first rodeo. The studio is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2014, after all. That’s not something to be taken lightly — you don’t go on any decades-long journey without your fair share of adversity, and it was a good while before they even had their breakout hit in Crash Bandicoot in 1996.
Granted, this might be the biggest challenge that the studio has faced yet, at least publicly. But the leadership at Naughty Dog has had a long time to learn from both itself and the industry around it, and there’s no reason to believe that this would lead to their first bad game in literally decades (never forget).
And besides…
They’re Flush with Talent
Thirty years of experience brings a lot of wisdom, but it also cultivates an insane amount of talent. Ever since the first Crash Bandicoot exploded onto the scene, Naughty Dog has left behind a legacy of some of the best looking and technically sound games to hit PlayStation platforms, and they made a huge leap in their storytelling with the last generation.
Key players have left the studio, that much is true. Even still, we can’t discount the amazing talent that remains. Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley are still there, and as the minds behind The Last of Us — and don’t forget that they worked on Uncharted 2 — there is zero doubt that the new Uncharted is still in great hands. Throw in the league of amazing artists and programmers that populate Naughty Dog’s offices and suddenly any worries you have start to seem a bit silly.
Building on a Great Foundation
Of course, there’s no denying that Uncharted is Amy Hennig’s brainchild. With her at the helm as lead writer and creative director, the series was propelled straight into the cream of Sony’s IP crop. Without her, Uncharted 4 will be a different game, no two ways about it.
Even without her there, though, we’ll surely feel her influence when Uncharted finally arrives on PS4. While others would undoubtedly like to leave their own imprint on such a beloved franchise, deviating too far from the blueprint that made it successful in the first place would be unwise.
No one wants a dark and gritty Uncharted game — we’ll surely see more of the swashbuckling and wisecracking Nathan Drake that we know and love. There will be a large emphasis on storytelling, and there will be explosive cinematic set pieces that dazzled us the same way they did on PS3. The pieces are all there, and so is the talent to put it all together.
They Have Amazing First-Party Support
In the unlikely event that Naughty Dog can’t quite tie it all together on their own, they’re hardly alone. In fact, Sony’s Worldwide Studios are hardly strangers to lending each other a helping hand. The most famous in this regard is Santa Monica Studio; on top of developing their own games, they have a branch dedicated to offering support for titles published on Sony’s platforms.
It certainly isn’t the first option, as far as getting a game out the door is concerned. We’re sure everyone at Sony and Naughty Dog would rather release Uncharted 4 without having to resort to it, but it’s a safety net afforded to precious few within the games industry. One way or another, Uncharted PS4 will be a technical marvel, ensured by the way that Sony’s studios have each other’s backs at all times.
Mediocre Uncharted is Still Pretty Good
Think of your least favorite game in the Uncharted series. Whichever it is, and whatever you might not have liked about it, you would probably agree that it was still a pretty damn good game. Hell, even Uncharted: Golden Abyss, which wasn’t even developed by Naughty Dog, still managed to be entertaining despite the lack of high-octane set pieces that helped popularize the console games.
Uncharted is pretty much the pizza of video games. Sure, you might not be blown away by every entry, but at the end of the day it’s something that you would rather play than not. Whether it’s the action or the story picking up the slack, it’s hard to deny the appeal of Nathan Drake and his ragtag group of misfits.
Until they release something that proves otherwise, Naughty Dog is still amongst the most elite game studios on the entire planet. More likely than not, Uncharted 4 will be just fine.
http://www.stealthybox.com/daily-five-reasons-stay-excited-uncharted-4/
