It goes without saying that Naughty Dog has become one of the most prestigious game developers in the industry. Still, it’s not always clear to gamers and fans what exactly it takes to bring the studio’s beloved titles to life. Sony is premiering a “full-length anniversary video” about Naughty Dog and its history this October at Gallery Nucleus, but in the meantime, there’s a teaser on YouTube for us to look at. 30 years is a long, long time in the video game business.
The teaser itself is actually pretty fascinating. We get to hear from founders Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin, who essentially express that there’s no way they could have possibly predicted the studio’s success when they founded it at the age of fifteen. When Crash Bandicoot arrived years later and sold absurd numbers, Sony knew Naughty Dog was the real deal. The studio was purchased by Sony soon after (unfortunately, the rights to Crash were not obtained), and the rest, as they say, is history.
Gavin points out in the video that Naughty Dog’s secret has always been to “hire the best people possible,” and though it sounds simple, it’s clear from consistent that the strategy works. I look forward to checking out the full video this October; the story of one of today’s most successful game-making groups ought to be quite the tale indeed.
Plus, who knows; if we’re lucky, we may get to hear a bit about the making of The Last of Us Remastered, or better yet, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. The latter is scheduled to release sometime in 2015, so certainly it must be underway enough to share a few video clips, no?