Since it was founded in 1984, Naughty Dog has developed some of PlayStation’s biggest and most successful franchises.Jak and Daxter,Crash Bandicoot,The Last of Us, andUnchartedall originate from this single studio. Pretty impressive.
Thebest Naughty Dog gamesare known for their iconic characters, engaging stories, and epic world-building. All things that take time to create. While not as notorious as other high-profile studios for making gamers wait, Naughty Dog’s development cycle can be on the long side. Thankfully, most of us can agree these games were all worth waiting for.
Most of Naughty Dog’s early games didn’t take that long to produce. On average, theCrash Bandicootgames and their other early works took 12 to 18 months to develop. It was only with the studio’s move to theUnchartedseries that their development time began to expand.
Uncharted 2: Among Thievesis arguably one ofthe best games about hunting for treasure. It didn’t take quite as long to develop as the original since many of its improvements were iterative - slightly more complex level design, a better story, and improved graphics. According to Naughty Dog, the incredibly impressive train level slowed down production, being the first level they worked on and the last they finished. Still, 22 months to create one of Sony’s highest-reviewed exclusives isn’t bad at all.
When releasing a sequel, studios have two options. They can either make a load of small iterative improvements and push the game out quickly, or reinvent the wheel. Despite the originalJak and Daxterbeing a hit, Naughty Dog decided to take a big risk with the sequel and change pretty much everything about it.
The franchise went from a light-hearted platformer in the vein ofCrash Bandicootto an edgier, more story-driven action-adventure that isone of Naughty Dog’s darkest games. There was still platforming, but now there was an open world to explore, flying cars to steal, and a large arsenal of guns to fire. The fact that it only took Naughty Dog 2 years to develop the game is deeply impressive (and likely down to some pressure from Sony). Unfortunately,Jak 3’sproduction was even more rushed. It only took a year to develop, and many fans would say it shows in the final product.
Naughty Dog can be a bit cagey about how long it takes them to make their games, but it seems that the originalUnchartedtook just over 2 years to develop. The PS3 was notoriously hard to develop for, and Naughty Dog admitted back in 2007 that they took their time onUnchartedrather than rush and make it a launch title. They made the right decision.
The game didn’t just introduce the world toone of Naughty Dog’s best heroes; it showed off just what the PS3 could do in the right hands. The graphics were gorgeous for the time, the gameplay was exhilarating, and the story was surprisingly good for a shooter. Later entries in the series went on to improve upon the original in every way, but most fans still have a soft spot for Drake’s first outing.
There’s a bit of debate among fans surroundingUncharted 3. Some feel it’s one of the best games in the series; others feel it offers only minor improvements onUncharted 2. The fact it garnered “perfect” review scores from some outlets upon release also rubbed some gamers up the wrong way.
In many ways, despite being one ofthe best games worked on by Amy HennigUncharted 3 was just more of the same, with slightly improved graphics. The set pieces were bigger but echoed those ofUncharted 2(Drake falling out of a crashing plane vs. Drake falling out of a crashing train), so why did it take longer to develop than the second game? The answer is that during the second half ofUncharted 3’sdevelopment, Naughty Dog split its attention to work on another game, The Last of Us.
Jak & Daxtermay not have become as popular as their older brother, the mighty Crash Bandicoot, but their first outing easily blew his games out of the water. Everyone knew Naughty Dog could make a good platformer, butThe Precursor Legacywas still shockingly good.
Instead of choosing levels from a glorified menu, players had a beautifully detailed, almost open world to explore, with areas linking seamlessly together. While the Crash games were fun, their stories weren’t exactly complex.Jak & Daxteron the other hand, had world-building and a proper story. Naughty Dog clearly had something to prove with their first new IP after Crash Bandicoot, and they took their time making sureJak & Daxterwas as good as possible.
Once upon a time, Naughty Dog used to release new games rather than just remasters and remakes ofThe Last of Us. Back in 2013, gamers knew that Naughty Dog could make “adult” games, but no one was really prepared for The Last of Us. It wasn’t justthe best horror game published by Sony; people were claiming it was one of the best games ever, period.
For a start, the game had gorgeous visuals that nearly pushed the aging PS3 well beyond its limits. On top of that, the stealth gameplay was nail-biting, the level design was enthralling, and the world-building was unrivaled. But the icing on the cake was the story and how Naughty Dog built up the relationship between Ellie and Joel. Anyone who has spent five minutes with the game can tell you why it took four years to make.
After the success of the first three games, Naughty Dog could have rushed the release of Uncharted 4. Instead, they wisely took their sweet time. They listened to the criticisms fans had of the third entry, took franchise fatigue into account, and decided to finish the series with one last banger of a game. In particular, they focused on makingUncharted 4much less linear than its predecessor.
Uncharted 4was the first entry in the franchise to add a semi-open-world structure. At some points in the game, the player can drive around and explore different areas, taking on optional side areas or hunting for hidden relics. These areas were both beautiful to look at and vast, and most likely accounted for the game’s long development time. The game also features the franchise’s best story, and Naughty Dog clearly took their time to verify they gave Drake the best ending possible. However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. The game did spend some time in development hell after Amy Hennig’s abrupt and rather dramatic departure from the studio.
TheLast of Us Part 2is easily the most controversial game Naughty Dog has ever released. It took six years to make, and despite being critically acclaimed and a masterpiece in myriad ways, plenty of fans absolutely hated it. Why? Because it wasn’t the original.
Presumably, Naughty Dog spent a good bit of the 6-year development time wondering if they should even make a sequel. How do you top one of the best games ever made? Well, Naughty Dog opted for a similar approach to what Rockstar did withRed Dead Redemption 2: lots and lots of detail.The Last of Us Part 2was a ridiculously pretty and detailed game, and the fact it ran on the aging PS4 was a minor miracle (optimization likely took a long time). Naughty Dog also spent a long time working on the story, which cemented Ellie as one of the best horror game protagonists ever created.
