Is Naughty Dog serious? Plans for Naughty Dog to remake The Last of Us Part II have been accidentally leaked by one of their own developers, and it’s just insane that this game is already being remade.
Does Naughty Dog really have no shame?
Despite the game only coming out three years ago, The Last of Us Part II is all but assuredly getting a remake soon as one of the Naughty Dog developers accidentally leaked the game’s development on their social media accounts. And, to be honest, I think this might be one of the scummiest moves Naughty Dog has ever made.
Okay, I’m sure a decent number of you guys are probably thinking that I’m being far too harsh on Naughty Dog for remaking a silly little video game, but I’m really not as this isn’t just about a remake. It’s about the cash-milker this company is becoming, and how their own games and franchises are suffering from it.
But, before I get into that, let me just quickly recap how we even know The Last of Us Part II remake is even in development. So, essentially, Mark Pajarillo, the lead outsource artist for Naughty Dog since 2021, foolishly posted on his own LinkedIn account (yeah, I know, it’s a damn LinkedIn account that caused this mess) that he was “responsible for overseeing the production of all outsourced environment art assets, weapons and interactive props for two iconic titles The Last of Us: Part One and The Last of Us 2: Remastered”.
What a way to let the cat out of the bad, Mark!
Anyway, I really don’t have an issue with Mark Pajarillo or anyone involved working on this game at all as they’re just doing their jobs, while, in Mark’s case, anyone can make a mistake. Even if it is a really stupid one. But, nevertheless, I have a major issue with Naughty Dog as not only is this franchise being shilled out to the max, but The Last of Us Part II CAME OUT THREE YEARS AGO!
Yes, the game is only three years old and it’s already getting a remastered edition? Just judging and talking about its graphical, accessibility, performance-capture, and gameplay mechanics standpoints, the game is still one of the most evolved, ground-breaking, and immersive titles on the market. And the game is still getting a remaster?
Now, I understood Naughty Dog remastering The Last of Us Part I as it was nearing its 10-year anniversary, which is still not too old given how reliant the game is on cinematics (which still hold up well today), but the price of the game bordered on insanity as you needed (and still need) to pay $70 for it.
And, given how The Last of Us Part II is far newer than the original title, I would be shocked if that remaster came out at anything less than $70, while the special editions (which are just the same exact copies with a few gun skin add-ons) probably cost north of $100. Can you see why I’m really disappointed in Naughty Dog?
I know a game studio needs to make money off their titles and doesn’t make games for free, but does Naughty Dog really need to turn The Last of Us franchise into a middling, money-hungry franchise?
The original game is already one of the best-selling games of all-time with 17M copies sold, it won numerous Game of the Year awards in 2013 (D.I.C.E Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, IGN, Game Informer, etc.), the sequel is also an best-selling game with 10 millions copies sold, it also won numerous Game of the Year awards in 2020 (The Game Awards, Golden Joystick Awards, Game Informer, etc.), and an Emmy-nominated show.
This is an EXTREMELY successful franchise, and it very well might be the most successful gaming and entertainment franchise in the history of both mediums. That’s how popular this franchise is, and Naughty Dog still feels the need to shill out a useless, overpriced remaster?
I guess this is just the typical Naughty Dog these days.
Images Source: Featured Image: (Sony/Naughty Dog) (The Last of Us Part II – Release Date Reveal Trailer | PS4 – YouTube)
