The new Naughty Dog game, which is being kept tightly under wraps, might take some cues from Elden Ring‘s approach to narrative. Speaking to The Washington Post, Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann said that he was “intrigued” by the way games like Elden Ring and Inside tell their stories because they don’t rely on traditional storytelling techniques.
New Naughty Dog game might rely less on cinematics
“I’m more recently intrigued by stuff like Elden Ring and Inside that doesn’t rely as much on traditional narrative to tell its story,” Druckmann told The Washington Post‘s Gene Park. He added that some of the “best storytelling” in The Last of Us is in the cinematics, although players do experience a lot of the narrative through gameplay and exploration. Druckmann seems inspired by games that don’t hold players’ hands.
“It doesn’t mean we will never have dialogue or cut scenes,” Druckmann clarified. “I think those are like tools in your toolbox. And it’s about how you use all these different aspects.” He said that Elden Ring style storytelling could work with the type of games Naughty Dog makes, and he isn’t opposed to trying something new and different.
Druckmann also teased Naughty Dog’s mystery projects once again, stating that his teams are “very excited” by what they’re working on.