Naughty Dog’s multiplayer project took inspiration from Fortnite
Fortnite and Naugthy Dog multiplayer? Does that go together?
Naughty Dog’s next big game is going to be a standalone multiplayer project that we don’t know too much about yet. Originally intended as an accompanying multiplayer mode to The Last of Us 2, Naughty Dog has decided to outsource the whole thing – but whether Factions 2 is waiting for us here or something else remains unclear. But what we now know is that Naugthy Dog is also inspired by the competition, including Epic’s Battle Royale phenomenon Fortnite.
Fortnite as a model for creative game design
In one official blog post various Naughty Dog employees spoke about their games of 2021 and praised titles like Returnal and Deathloop. Game Director Anthony Newman, who is responsible for the aforementioned multiplayer game, did not choose a completely new release, but announced the new season of Fortnite, which apparently impressed him very much.
So much so that Newman described the evolution of Fortnite as “really inspiring”:
When I started working on this multiplayer project, I had a very superficial view of Fortnite as something that was just a toy for tweens, a passing phenomenon that only succeeded because of Drake. How wrong I was! Fortnite is really inspiring, not just as a multiplayer game but as a game in itself.
Epic takes incredible creative risks every season, finds new ways to transform the game, and never seems to run out of ideas. Personally, I am very impressed by these ‘interactive’ concert events: an interactive, time-limited multiplayer concert experience? It couldn’t be much more innovative.
With the concerts Newman refers to the Fortnite appearances of superstars like Ariana Grandethat work like a public event. If you are not logged in on time, you will miss the spectacle. Fortnite’s strength in hosting successful live events apparently made a big impression on Naugthy Dog.
That doesn’t have to mean that Naughty Dog is now launching a Battle Royale game of their own in which Joel and Ellie will appear to play Pearl Jam. But not being captivated by gameplay conventions and using public, virtual space in a creative way could also have given Naughty Dog’s multiplayer project one or the other idea.
What’s up with Naughty Dogs multiplayer game
Solid details about the Naughty Dog multiplayer project are still few and far between. Most recently the studio has filled positions relevant to multiplayer and every few months there are vague signs of life. In the rumor mill, however, things are going well, for example a huge multiplayer map was discovered in the code of The Last of Us 2, which, together with the compass and UI displays, actually reminds of a battle royale game.
What do you hope for from Naughty Dog’s multiplayer project?
Reference-www.gamepro.de