It's safe to say Naughty Dog is the undisputed king of storytelling in the gaming industry. Having produced PlayStation's exclusives such as the Uncharted and The Last of Us franchises, very few studios are able to tell stories like they do.
As such, there are many fan favorite IPs that gamers have been dying to see Naughty Dog take on board, including properties from all corners of the entertainment industry from comic superheroes to anime icons.
The developer has always been focused on original IPs and storytelling, however, with the upward trend in video game adaptations of major franchises, even the Naughty Dog co-president seems ready to jump on board.
NEWS
A tweet from IGN's Greg Miller asked the newly appointed co-president Neil Druckmann “what established IP would you want to make a game for?”
Hypothetical question, @Neil_Druckmann: what established IP would you want to make a game for?
Druckmann replied with a top five list, including several Marvel Comics and TV favorites being Ghost Rider and the Punisher. The two were accompanied by videogame classics Half Life, and Hotline Miami , along with anime favorite Cowboy Bebop.
🤔 1) Punisher 2) Half Life 3) Ghost Rider 4) Hotline Miami 5) Cowboy Bebop Those come to mind... 🤷🏻♂️
WHAT THIS MEANS
While it's unlikely we'll see Naughty Dog take up any of these properties in the near future, it's interesting to see Druckmann's keen interest in some IPs fans have asked for most from the team.
A third-person shooter Punisher title would be a perfect fit for Naughty Dog, whose most popular titles tend to follow that style. The Punisher's gun-based action gameplay makes him an obvious fit for a video game, and his deeper, more adult-oriented background, makes his story close to ideal for Naughty Dog's narrative habits.
The rest of the list definitely consists of some deeper cut picks, but the talented team at Naughty Dog has proven over the years they're not to be underestimated, and they could definitely pull off any of these in their own unique way.
Recent comments from Druckmann have teased their next project which is currently in its early stages of development , and it'd be extremely exciting if it somehow turned out to be one of these — however slim the odds may be.