Games as a service have become one of the main attractions to some developers and publishers in the last ten or so years. Online games that have the ability to have content added and taken away throughout years of development is a great way to make money, no doubt about it. If you can get players to pay 15 quid or so every few months for a few years at least, your profits are going to soar, which leaves single-player one-time payment games in a little bit of a tight spot. However, one of the developers best known for that style of game, Naughty Dog, has said it's not leaving single-player story-driven games behind.
In an interview with Game Informer, Naughty Dog co-presidents Evan Wells and Neil Druckmann talked about the past of the studio and a little about what's in store for the future too. The interview includes a moment where the pair are asked about their opinions on how other gaming companies have been moving away from "big, story-driven single-player games" and if they were sticking to Naughty Dog's speciality.
We think the opening of The Last of Us is one of the best video game intros ever...
Evan Wells says: "Absolutely. Yeah, and it's sort of in our DNA to tell these stories. I think that's going to continue. Single-player experiences are near and dear to us. It's what has attracted a lot of people to Naughty Dog, and that's what inspires them, so I think we're going to keep at it as long as we can."
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Druckmann continues: "And again, going back to who Sony is, there has never been a mandate like, "Oh, this is where we see the winds shifting. Can you start making these kind of games instead?" We know just as they know that when you work on something you're excited by, something you're passionate by, you're going to do great work."
So that seems pretty conclusive. As long as Naughty Dog can continue making single-player games for Sony it will continue. But as The Last of Us Part Two has already come out, and Nathan Drake's story has come to an end, there is a question of which single-player stories the developers are aiming to tell next.
Featured Image Credit: Naughty DogTopics: Uncharted, The Last of Us Part 2, Naughty Dog