Naughty Dog has confirmed a new single-player game is in development, and are in the process of hiring developers who can work on “next generation graphics”, according to a job listing on the studio’s career page.
It may be less than three weeks since the release of The Last Of Us Part II, but it appears the studio has no intention of slowing down, and is already back in the driving seat looking toward its next project.
There are multiple job listings via the studio’s careers page, including an opening for a Level/Environment Designer, a role clearly indicated for a single-player game, described as “the creative force behind our narrative-driven content, crafting engaging gameplay experiences through sequences of level setups they design and produce.”
The studio is also on the lookout for a Melee/Gameplay Animator, someone who can “create compelling gameplay for our future project(s).”
Naughty Dog is further seeking a Tools Programmer, someone who will “be working on our next generation graphics analysis, profiling and debugging tool in conjunction with our sister technology groups.” All of this may indicate that Naughty Dog’s future projects may involve the PlayStation 5 console.
As for what these future projects looks like, It was recently confirmed by Anthony Newman, the co-director for The Last Of Us Part II, that factions would be returning to the game. Kurt Margenau, fellow co-director announced that “Multiplayer is coming back. We’re not going to talk details yet about what form that takes, but we can confirm there will be multiplayer.”
Another candidate is the recently teased The Last Of Us III Series director, Neil Druckmann, discussed this in an interview with British GQ, where he suggested that a third installment to the post-pandemic series could be on the cards, but at the same time, believes Naughty Dog could also create an entirely new title altogether.
Reflecting on the lengthy production process, and what’s next, Druckmann said: “As you start wrapping things up, creatively there are fewer and fewer responsibilities, and my mind can’t help but think about the next thing.”
He teased: “So, yeah, the next thing could be a Part III, the next thing could be some new IP.”
