Neil Druckmann: No Confidence in The Last of Us

Neil Druckmann focuses on the present, not sequels! He'd rather finish a story than plan ahead if a compelling continuation isn't clear. It's all or nothing for Naughty Dog's IPs. #TheLastOfUs #NaughtyDog

genji 6 days ago

“`html

Neil Druckmann: No Confidence in The Last of Us

Ellie in The Last of Us

Image credit: Naughty Dog

Creating sequels to beloved franchises like The Last of Us isn’t easy. Neil Druckmann, the game’s director, admits he lacks the confidence to plan for sequels, focusing instead on the game immediately in front of him.

Druckmann’s Approach: One Game at a Time

During the DICE summit, Druckmann discussed his approach to character development, contrasting with fellow developer Cory Barlog’s “crazy conspiracy board” method. Druckmann revealed he never thinks about multiple games at once.

He believes thinking about a sequel while working on the first game is “jinxing” it. His philosophy? Work as if there won’t be another game.

Key Takeaways from Druckmann’s Philosophy

Focus on the Present: “The game in front of us is so all consuming,” Druckmann explained.

No Idea Saving: He doesn’t save good ideas for potential sequels. If it’s a cool idea, it goes into the current game.

Sequels are a Rethink: Only when a sequel is greenlit does he look back and consider where the story and characters can go.

Kill or Find a New Game: “if I feel like the answer is, they can’t go anywhere, then I go, ‘I think we’ll just kill them off,” Druckmann says.

No Repetition: The goal is to avoid repeating themselves, finding new directions for characters, and if new answers do not come, he will start to think of new characters or a new game.