Naughty Dog won't be The Last of Us studio forever, according to studio president Neil Druckmann. He told the LA Times this in a new interview, which is where he also said the studio has multiple single-player projects in development, as reported by VideoGamesChronicle.

"I promise you, we will not be The Last of Us studio forever," Druckmann said, revealing the team is working on "multiple single-player projects." He continued, adding, "We create experiences that are steeped in story and characters, especially relationships. The stories have some sort of philosophical core that everything is going to revolve around and feed into."

Elsewhere in the interview, Druckmann told the LA Times he came up with the idea about a man and a girl crossing a post-apocalyptic landscape – the premise of The Last of Us – in college. He planned to get that story out of his head one day as a graphic novel. Even after getting hired at Naughty Dog, he didn't bring up this story to the studio, he said. Instead, he was given the task of recreating Jak and Daxter into "something more reality-based," the publication writes. 

However, he and those on the task were struggling. They went to Naughty Dog's then-president Evan Wells, who retired last year, and asked, "Do we need to do Jak and Daxter?" Wells said no, and Druckmann told the LA Times, "Immediately the lightbulb went off" as the time for what would become The Last of Us had arrived. And the rest is history. 

This interview follows Druckmann's recent interview with PlayStation, which resulted in a public rebuttal of the interview by Druckmann, with him claiming he was heavily misquoted, and PlayStation eventually pulling the interview down completely. 

Word of multiple single-player projects in development at Naughty Dog follows news from last December where Naughty Dog canceled its Last of Us live-service multiplayer project after years of development. 

For more, read Game Informer's review of The Last of Us and then read our review of The Last of Us Part II. After that, read our impressions of Naughty Dog's remake of The Last of Us. 

[Source: LA Times via VideoGamesChronicle]

What do you hope Naughty Dog's next game is? Let us know in the comments below!

This year's Summer Game Fest showcase is happening this week, on Friday, June 7, at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET, and with more than 55 studios and publishers set to be featured at the event (including Play Days this weekend) this year, fans have been speculating on what they might see. That includes Kingdom Hearts fans, who have been hoping to see something related to Kingdom Hearts IV at SGF this year, given it's been more than two years since its reveal. 

However, SGF host and creator Geoff Keighley thinks Kingdom Hearts fans should lower their expectations for the show. 

"People keep asking about Kingdom Hearts, I don't know why," Keighley says during a recent stream where he answered questions about SGF. "I think it's because we did [Final Fantasy VII Rebirth] last year or something like that. But yeah, people are setting themselves up for failure but you guys can keep hoping." 

Here's a clip of it, too: 

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— xenosaga (@xenosaga7) June 3, 2024

Now, Keighley could be playing coy, especially with the "but you guys can keep hoping" part at the end, but it's more likely that he's trying to nicely let Kingdom Hearts fans know that if they expect to see Kingdom Hearts IV during SGF, they might be disappointed. 

In the meantime, watch the Kingdom Hearts IV reveal trailer, and then read Game Informer's exclusive interview with Tetsuya Nomura about Kingdom Hearts IV, the series' future with Final Fantasy, and more. 

Do you think we'll hear about Kingdom Hearts IV this upcoming weekend? Let us know in the comments below!

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is making the leap to Xbox in August. The 2021 action-adventure game has been available only on PlayStation and PC, and its move to Microsoft’s platform comes with some new in-game goodies.

As the debut title by Ember Lab, this story-driven action game stars Kena, a young spirit guide who must unravel the mystery of a destroyed village by helping lost souls move on to the afterlife. She’s assisted by the Rot, tiny, adorable spirits Kena can command to aid in puzzle-solving and combat. The game’s design draws inspiration from series such as The Legend of Zelda, while combat has shades of From Software’s Dark Souls. 

Kena hits Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One on August 15 for $39.99 and will include exclusive pirate-themed Rot hats, a Golden Rot skin, and a unique staff for Kena. A new physical premium edition will also be available and will consist of these items, a digital soundtrack, and an exclusive sticker sheet. The Xbox version also includes the Anniversary DLC update, which includes the Spirit Guide Trials, additional Kena outfits, and New Game+

We awarded Kena: Bridge of Spirits a 9 out of 10, with former editor-in-chief Andrew Reiner writing in his review, "Bridge of Spirits stumbles a little in spots, yet confidently sprints into the heart of the adventure, rewarding the player with secrets galore and visuals that are almost always worth admiring. If you love Zelda-like games or are just looking for an experience that will make you smile every step of the way, you can’t go wrong with Kena: Bridge of Spirits." The game was also a sales success, recouping its development costs a month after its initial release in September 2021. 

You can learn more about Kena: Bridge of Spirits by checking out our behind-the-scenes features in our cover story hub.