Naughty Dog, the maker of The Last of Us, is reportedly one of the latest gaming studios to suffer layoffs. According to Kotaku, first-party PlayStation studios will lay off at least 25 developers, with the most affected being quality assurance (QA) testers, whose contracts have been cut short. Affected workers are expected to continue working until the end of October and are said to not receive any severance pay. It turns out that full-time staff – the last recorded headcount numbering more than 400 in July – were not being laid off, but rather there was widespread “pressure” on staff to keep the information secret.
While 2023 is shaping up to be an incredible year for games, the people making them have been suffering for a while. The poor response to the Saints Row reboot resulted in mass layoffs, senior executive departures, and studio closures, just like we saw with Volition. Look at a super successful studio like Naughty Dog suffering the same fate. The team kicked off the year with HBO’s live-action The Last of Us, which has now received 24 nominations at the upcoming Emmy Awards. It’s strange when you consider Naughty Dog’s prestigious status in Sony’s eyes, with co-president Neil Druckmann claiming the team has the ability to create something it’s passionate about rather than chasing trends.
my city The long-gestating multiplayer spinoff of The Last of Us was also discussed, noting that the game is currently “basically in a state of stasis.” A report in May suggested that the game’s development had been scaled back, taking more time to prepare as a means of “re-evaluating its quality and long-term viability.” As part of the process, several developers were reassigned to other projects, and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) invited Halo and Destiny creator Bungie to evaluate the zombie-killing multiplayer experience. At the end of the test, Bungie was not impressed, raising concerns about the project’s ability to maintain an online player base in the long term, leading to an internal reorganization. However, for now, the spin-off series set in San Francisco has not been cancelled.
It’s worth mentioning that the TLOU multiplayer experience will also be the first game to not include Druckmann as lead writer or director. He may also be Naughty Dog’s only remaining leader by the end of 2023, as co-president Evan Wells has chosen to retire after 25 years with the company. Its latest version was released in March – a PC port of The Last of Us Part 1, but it was poorly received due to performance issues. In addition, the studio is also preparing an unnamed “new single-player” game, which many hope is The Last of Us Part III. An Uncharted sequel is unlikely, as Druckmann has confirmed that the team is continuing to develop the series.
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