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Naughty Dog is laying off contract developers, asking them to keep it quiet. TLOU Online "is basically on ice at this point"
- Thread starter Tiago Rodrigues
- Start date
fart town usa
Gold Member
Lol, it's just a joke. "Game pass effect" is a meme at this point.
Salty Popsicle
Banned
If this news is true, then the Bungie acquisition continues to make more and more sense. If GAAS experiences are going to be a big cornerstone of PlayStation for the next 10+ years, then being able to deliver a blockbuster multiplayer game based on one of your most successful IP has to be a priority. PlayStation has always been known for their high-octane and emotional single-player experiences, but they've never been known for having a tentpole multiplayer offering that would compel players to stay engaged for months or years on-end. By all accounts, it seems TLoU won't be the franchise to change that trend.
Zok310
Banned
Respawn might just be the only dev right now but the battlefield dev used to be very good at it. Lets see how that pans out the next BF.
Salty Popsicle
Banned
It's not so much that this project may be cancelled, it's the fact that it was announced in 2020 and Naughty Dog have not given us any news about it outside of concept art. Also, knowing this has probably taken time and resources off ND's next major release stings.
Probably 2025/early 2026. But still, way sooner.
IntentionalPun
Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
Shit happens. Nearly half of all software projects fail.
And contractors don't get severance, they get paid a higher rate than full time employees because of it, in general. Generally the "first to go" when things go bad at companies, and as a contractor, you need to prepare to be not earning from time to time.
And contractors don't get severance, they get paid a higher rate than full time employees because of it, in general. Generally the "first to go" when things go bad at companies, and as a contractor, you need to prepare to be not earning from time to time.
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Yea to be honest Naughty Dog's multiplayer always works when its complimentary to the base game, not stretched out to try and be its own thing (for example, Uncharted 2 vs Uncharted 3). The Last of Us's factions was absolutely amazing on PS3/PS4 but it never should have been anything more than a extra mode to a single player game.
But in general ND has really lost their touch, imo TLoU was their last amazing game, Uncharted 4 was good but TLoU2 was just mediocre. I think Insomniac and Santa Monica have definitely taken over as the premier PlayStation studios, its a shame considering how great ND was. They really need new creative leads at this point, and a new IP to focus on. Last of Us should have been a one-and-done imo.
![L*][*N*K](/data/avatars/m/842/842515.jpg?1696510303){kind=avatar}
L*][*N*K
Banned
justiceiro
Marlboro: Other M
Arguably their best developer and they struggled making a multiplayer game. Now imagine how the other studios are faring dipping into the Gaas pool.
You can guess why Jim left now.
You can guess why Jim left now.
Fabieter
Member
Like I read it it was bungie thought it didn't had enough monetization and engagement options. But fuck that if the game is good enough I will always come back. For me it was the wrong call for sony to let bungie of all things doubt naughty dog.
spartan30gr
Member
Fuck you jimbo
This is your stupid only GaaS games, future
This is your stupid only GaaS games, future
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mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
MALpractice311
Member
Good. These GAAS-chasing execs need to learn some lessons. Kill this shit fad and focus on quality single player experience, especially if your reputation is already based on quality single player experiences.
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Killjoy-NL
Member
That doesn't mean they can't cancel projects, or put them on hold.
This isn't the first time this happens.
Sure. It already should've been released.
spartan30gr
Member
The ps5 is 3 years old and this studio right now is like as a dead studio
The last wee see from them,is the last of us remake ,but this is from another team, i think
EverydayBeast
thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Naughty dog is better than anyone else with or without last of us developers.
Mr Reasonable
Completely Unreasonable
I'm not sure how my influence works, but if you want to paypal me the funds, I'm happy to keep making making purchases - we can keep going until the announcements are made, if you like?
It's like when everything was aping call of duty, GAAS games already has several huge players, and they deliver exactly what people looking for those experiences want, trying to stuff 1 more product in a crowded market isn't ideal.
shame they didn't just release it as a standard packed-in multiplayer, as factions on tlou 1 is excellent
Gamerguy84
Member
J.C. How many games have Insomniac dropped since?
Madserb2023
Member
Sounds like the typical not sticking to what you are best at curse. Completely formulaic at this point. Would have ended up being Sony's version of Redfall so it is probably for the best.
Putonahappyface
Member
What a lovely, lovely surprise.
squarealex
Member
Factions 2 is the idea of Naughty Dog, and Naughty Dog wanted a big multiplayer game, because TLOUp2 don't have multiplayer. (And many fans wanted the sequel of Factions 1).
You can't just release a multiplayer game at 70$ when Fortnite, COD, Apex, Destiny, PUBG exist and be F2P.
CJ_75
Member
OK keyboard warrior, I get it. It looks like you don't like Mr Druckmann. The man has a decent trackrecord, I don't share the hate against him.
Please do let us know what you don't like about him.
3liteDragon
Member
Colossal waste of time, just keep doing SP games.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
And they also get zero benefits.
On the plus side, a contractor doesn't have to pay income taxes till the end. At least thats what my old contract colleague says he does. HR/agency does zero deductions. Its up to him to budget the tax paid to pay off a giant sum. But in the meantime he banks it all.
Evil Calvin
Afraid of Boobs
God no. please something new and interesting. Enough Last of Us!
Represent.
Represent(ative) of bad opinions
Let the GAAS shit burn. I guarantee you this will happen at most of Sonys studios after the Jim departure as they pivot from GAAS TRASH to real games.
spartan30gr
Member
And for the naughty dog developments laying offs, who the fucking idea was?
Thabass
Member
NDA's are a thing. Depends on their contract and how long the NDA is in effect tho.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
No severance is standard with contract workers.
But hush hush is not standard UNLESS (from what I've see from friends and colleagues) if someone works out a severance package that can be under NDA. You can tell who is under NDA and not because most good friends or fam will tell you how much they got or how many months of pay out. But an NDA'ed guy wont tell you anything. I've had good friends who couldnt even tell me even though with their facial expression they kind of want to. But there must be some weird clause in there saying if they tell they get sued by the company or take it back or some shit if they found out someone has loose lips.
I have never heard of a contract worker with zero severance having an NDA. Then again, I dont work in gaming. They probably do push more NDAs across gaming people considering how many blab on the internet about everything from secret gaming news to corporate memos to he said/she said sex allegations. So a gaming company will want to put a leash on them as they'll go on Twitter the next day and tell the world.
I got laid off in the 2000s. And my job was higher than a QA guy. I had zero clause saying I couldnt say anything. I got let go among a slew of us a restructuring where they combined departments across divisions. They gave me a payout, a bunch of lead time and my old boss I used as a reference and to this still occasionally talk to him.
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squarealex
Member
Jesus christ, How old are you ?
- Contracts Developers
- Online QA Devs
- No online developement ?
- ???
- No needed at this time QA Devs.
Is no like laye off people working for 2, 5, 7 or 10 years on important job like Art, Sound, Level Design, Game Designer, Tech Devs.
I'm not saying it's not serious. I'm just saying people are overeacting the current state of Naughty Dog.
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MALpractice311
Member
If I understand correctly, they were contractors; not employees. Contractors don't get severance. Typically, their contracts end and that's that
onnextflix5
Member
We would had a new uncharted next year if they did not waste 3 years working on this shit.
Hugare
Member
This is what you get when you order the studio that's arguably the best one in the world for cinematic experiences to make a GAAS game
See what happened to Creative Assembly 5 days ago.
GAAS is a fucking cancer. Want to make your GAAS games? Build studios for them. Dont try to ruin studios that are experts in narrative driven games.
It scares talented devs. Imagine joining ND thinking that you'll make the next Uncharted or TLOU only for them to make you work 3 years in a GAAS game.
Its like joining Valve hoping to work in the next HL game and end up working in Artifact.
If Sony keeps pushing this GAAS trend on all of their high caliber studios, we will see them becoming mediocre in no time
See what happened to Creative Assembly 5 days ago.
GAAS is a fucking cancer. Want to make your GAAS games? Build studios for them. Dont try to ruin studios that are experts in narrative driven games.
It scares talented devs. Imagine joining ND thinking that you'll make the next Uncharted or TLOU only for them to make you work 3 years in a GAAS game.
Its like joining Valve hoping to work in the next HL game and end up working in Artifact.
If Sony keeps pushing this GAAS trend on all of their high caliber studios, we will see them becoming mediocre in no time
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StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
It was a crazy time, but fun, efficiently made and gamers had an idea when games came out.
The 360/PS3 era where MS and Sony were pumping out quality sequels to their key IPs every two years. Somehow it was able to be done 15 years ago. Not jus MS/Sony. At that time there was also two Fallouts, three Mass Effects, 2 or 3 Dragon Age games etc...
Now, studios are focusing on spending tons of money on overproduced games or rolling the dice hoping to be the next COD or Fortnite.
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Solarstrike
Gold Member
A.I coming in setting up shop. Soon as the triggered A.I hating artists are done DDOSing Bing Image Creator
Edit: /sarcasm!
Edit: /sarcasm!
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Roxkis_ii
Member
Well let this be an example of why Sony likely doesn't announce games that far out anymore. ND made an attempt, and it fell through. It happens when you care about releasing quality products. People can be upset it happened, but I'm glad they had the chance to try and fail.
Better then pushing out a turd and trying to dress up because of time loss.
CircleOfFire
Member
Not to state the obvious, but if they're contractors that's kinda the point. Almost like Kotaku thinks that they've managed to catch Sony out.
midnightAI
Member
Woopah
Member
This game stared development before the Bungie acquisition. Then Bungie saw it and said "you're doing it all wrong" and ever since then its been in dev hell.
Hopefully the follow-up does come out eventually then!
Sushi_Combo
Member
TLOU is available tho. Just play TLOU Remastered for Ps4.
JerryinSoCal
Member
Yeah, it sounds like these are people who were working on a project that's either no longer in production or is paused and there won't be anything for them to do.
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