Finished! Still dizzy from staring at all the incredible detail put into every single pixel of my 30+ hour playthrough. Congrats to the whole
@Naughty_Dog
team on an incredible achievement!
I had the best time working on this game! Belly full of fire. Team was revved up. Great MP. Innocent days. Before I knew what ludonarrative dissonance meant. Before cinematic was a bad word. I wanted to make a summer blockbuster, like the movies I loved as a kid, but playable.
We were certain we were making the downfall of naughty dog. 😅
Lesson to remember, whatever you’re working on - see it through to the end cuz you just never know...
Grateful for all the appreciation for the game. Thanks gang!
✌️👍🖖
Thanks Mitch. I appreciate you saying this. Sounds like you were in a tough situation. Sorry. TBH, I learned from this too. That most "news" on internal company politics is about 20% true & 1000% more nuanced than what twitter (or fans) can handle. So we all grew. Be well.🕊️
To Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley who were caught in the crossfire of IGN's hostile, toxic leadership, I'm so sorry.
I am responsible for the anger, disgust, and disappointment you lived with then, and I'll never forgive myself for buckling beneath these manipulative monsters.
Now that realistic graphics are at every devs’ fingertips, stylization & art direction is going to be essential to stand out from the crowd. Good art directors, creative artists & artistically-minded rendering engineers are needed now more than ever.
One year ago today was my last day at Naughty Dog. It’s been a fascinating & rewarding journey! I’m being challenged & inspired in so many new ways - I love it. And I owe a ton to ND. ❤️
I can’t wait to share what I’ve been up to, but not juuust yet. Soon! Love & thanks. 🙏
The relevance of June 14th wasn’t on my radar until I popped onto Twitter this morn. We had no idea the impact
#TheLastofUs
was going to have on the industry & our lives. But we had an idea for something no one had done in the story-driven AAA space before, so we went for it...
It’s been 5 years since TLOU was released, but it was 8 1/2 years ago that
@Neil_Druckmann
& I started brainstorming our “Resident Evil 4-meets-ICO-with-the-tone-of-No Country for Old Men” knockoff. 😅 Fun Times!
Nice to stroll down memory lane w my bud
@TinaAmini
!
Expert Mode is one of our most impressive (and my favorite) productions that we do. For our latest, I talked about TLOU with my good friend
@bruce_straley
and how Stalkers were his favorite enemy type so he only put them in the game twice. 🤷♀️
The most embarrassing thing I let slip in the first gam.. err.. my career. I really hope someone fixed this in the remake. Literally unplayable.
#TheLastofUs
👋🏾💩
Congrats to the whole ND team working hard to make T2 what I know will be an amazing, harrowing & emotional experience!! Making papa proud. 😊 Congrats on the great coverage & hype!
#ShipIt
Sounds like a threat.
Ok, fine. So today - with great pleasure - I’d like to formally announce that I‘ve been working hard at not coming back to Naughty Dog to finish their multiplayer. 😂
Thanks all for the good vibes from
#TheLastOfUs
anniversary!
It was one of those rare experiences in life where the right idea & ppl were together at the right time to make something truly special. I’m proud of what we did & happy so many people appreciate it.
Thanks! ❤️🙏
Ok, my last RDR2 tweet, but... THE CLOUDS MAAAAN!!! THE WEATHER?! THE LIGHTING??!?!! C’MON?!
This game surpassed art direction and just moved into the science of recreating “the best moments you’ve ever had in nature, ever”, except it’s every 20 minutes.
This tech is 🤯!
For those of you who have never made a game, m’not sure you understand the amount of work thats gone into EVERY SINGLE PIXEL, ANIMATION, LINE OF CODE, and LINE OF DIALOGUE of this experience. It’s staggering - the amount of dedication & talent on display here.
#Respect
!
Wow!
@Naughty_Dog
killed it!! TLOU2 looked amazing. This must be what every parent feels like when their kid leaves home for the first time. Ma baby’s all grown up! 😢 The team has done an outstanding job. Couldn’t be prouder. Go get ‘em Dogs!
#SonyE3
FunFact: Randy Styles & DrUckmann used to play Gears 1 MP every night fr 11pm to 2-4am w MyCatField, Tangle, CharlieHorsey and... I can’t remember the others 😅. I’d eat tapioca pudding w orange juice just to keep the edge! Factions MP was an homage to those late night sessions.
Packing to move & found a sketchbook w
#tlou
brainstorms. Trying to figure out how to make set-ups & layouts w ‘everyday found objects’ interesting (see: dumpsters & ladders 🤔). Many made it in. & I see the birth of Bill’s trap in there! 👀
(& now, do I pack em or trash em?)
I’m heartbroken to hear the news about Annie today. Thank you for putting your heart into your work, Annie. Tess will live on forever as one of the best characters - and in one of the best scenes - in gaming history! Rest in peace. 💔🙏
Congrats to the team that helped make the dream possible - you are so golden! And thanks to all the gamers for appreciating our work. Your love and kindness keeps me pushing.
Endure and Survive! 🧟♀️❤️🧟♂️
The Last of Us was first released exactly six years ago today. To all those that have played and the fans that continue to share their love and passion for the game with us: thank you! You motivate and inspire us each day.
Also holy moly
#OutbreakDay
is trending?! Haha! Six years ago Neil & I made the first two lonely OutbreakDay tweets - just cuz we wanted to hype the game we were proud of. Now look at the 🧟♂️🧟♀️ we’ve created.
RDR2 🎮 + 🎧 FTW!
I don’t think the audio design in this game has been given enough credit! The attention to detail & tech required in a game of this scope is ridiculous! And they absolutely nailed the atmosphere.
The lonely cowboy in my heart found his home. 🌵🤠👍
It's a shame games tend to fall behind the times. The controls prolly feel a bit off now. Shooting could be tighter. Climbing could evolve. But for the time, it made a statement. It was a fun game to work on & I think that comes through. High five to the team & fans! 🙏
Marco?
I’m super proud of what Neil & I & the whole team at Naughty Dog, were able to do. (Haters, please leave me out of your dumb wars.)
...and I think the industry still has so much more to discover about our medium. Let’s all keep searching!
Peace, love & video games!
✌️❤️🎮
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves released 10 years ago today on October 13, 2009. Time has flown by!
It felt like just the other day that we were hangin' with Nate.
It's insane to look back. We shipped a full, crazy-detailed SP campaign, created a competitive Multiplayer from scratch with like 10 unique modes & 7 or 8 maps, AND a bitching co-op?! And that was all in the box day 1. Talk about insecurities. Lighten up ppl. We're ok.😂
Update: I just remembered how great COD4: Modern Warfare was.
That game had a big influence on my thinking while directing Uncharted2. The pacing, the combat set-ups, the nuke sequence, All Ghillied Up... It was just missing the characters to tie the story together. Hence, U2!
You know, if I were at
@naughtydog
, which I’m not, I would be asking
@arnemeyer
to release a never-posted pre-vis anim of the gritty combat we used in our pitch to Sony. It’s 🔥! And would be a treat to see on this 6th anniversary if I were a fan. But I’m not there, so… 🤷♂️🙄😉
Shipping U1 was like a cage-match with a tiger. Despite the scars, it became the seminal work for the type of game ND would become known for. We learned so much from U1. And we shipped FIVE quality games since then (& Left Behind)! Amazing. Congrats to all Dogs, past & present!
It's the 10th anniversary of Uncharted and we're celebrating with giveaways, a new PS4 system theme, merch, a panel and booth experience at
#PSX
, and more! Get all of the details:
#Uncharted10
Played Journey again this morning. Still one of the best games ever made.
And to the white-robed, Journey-Sage that flew me past godray spawners, thru walls w/o collision, & out of the world - thank you for one of the most memorable gaming experiences I’ve had in a long time!
Now I’m just bumbling down memory lane... ☺️ but this happened! Look at those kids. Those smiles!! Post-beard Bruce.
😘
@Neil_Druckmann
Happy Anniversary!
(Look at those Instagram filters go! 😬)
This industry needs a Shuhei replicator machine. ❤️
Congrats
@yosp
!! I still recall pitching
#TLOU
to you & Scott in the theater room at Naughty Dog with great fondness. Thanks for all your support!
I wanted to take the epic set pieces out of cutscenes (which was standard at the time) & put them on the stick. I wanted to keep the player on the edge of their seat w some new pacing. We were making a roller-coaster ride & it was exhilarating.
We wanted to make characters that were just fun to hang out with. & we designed the story so it allowed for playable character moments, constructed to bridge the gap between player & characters. It was the birth of a philosophy that would propel the creation of The Last of Us.
I’m a super lucky guy. Grateful for my friends, family & community who keep me balanced & humble. Thankful for a career that’s allowed me to put a roof over my head while expressing my creativity. I wish you all the best - today & everyday. Thanks! Stay positive! Stay safe. 🙏
Holy shit! Best opening fight in any game, hands down. I can’t believe how intense this fight still is! Audio is creepy. Managing your resources is a challenge. You can barricade doors in 2005?! And the frickin chainsaw guy?! In the first main fight??! Epic!
And I think ppl still don’t quite understand what’s special about TLOU. Not journos, not devs. It’s not story “VS” gameplay. It was story + gameplay. It was an honest attempt to marry story and interactivity - it was the sum of the parts that made the most powerful experience.
Found a sketchbook today w an idea for a Design/Art pipeline on (I think) Uncharted 1? (Maybe super early Uncharted 2.)
Not too bad for a first sketch that’s 10 years old. 😉 Decent level of check-ins + indiv freedom. Iteration is blocked in. “Idealized” timelines tho. 🤷♂️
Finally got to see Hereditary. Wow!
👏👏👏
I think Hereditary & The Witch are my new favorite type of horror films. They rank up there with The Shining and Ringu for me. Now I wanna play a game with that tone. PT is the closest thing to capture it, but I want more!
ok ok. I gotta clear some stuff up (please read the whole thread)...
Most of you get my humor & the responses to my earlier tweet have cracked me up, but for some of you I get that I poked at a sensitive nerve w T2’s MP. Let me assure you...
It was an honest effort to try to push our medium & show that if story & gameplay were considered w equal respect, that we could create something that’s never been played before.
That was our goal. All other ideas - which there are many - were there to service that one goal.
CTR REBOOT??! So cool to see the first Naughty Dog levels I worked on at The Game Awards last night!! Woot
@Jason_Rubin
&
@evan_wells
!
I dug up some production & wrap-party karting pics circa 1999. Wish I had a team photo. (But the CTR wallpaper on the CRT monitor?! 🤣)
#CTR
A testament to the success of this idea, is you cannot watch a “cutscene-only” YouTube video from the game & have the story make any sense. Without the gameplay sections, huge swaths of a character arcs & story beats are missing.
@PushDustIn
70% of the time job titles and game credits are misleading.
Not everyone that works in games is a programmer.
Sure my job can be fun, but making games is actually very complicated work.
99% of employees never see a penny from their work after they leave a company.
OMG NEVER MOVE.
Just found storyboards from Crash Team Racing's opening title sequence. The last thing a couple of us worked on before getting the game out the door. Wow.
I dig Korean film. If you liked Parasite, check out Memories of Murder & Mother. MoM is an absolutely incredible film. (Skip Snowpiercer, imo.)
And if you like those, check out the Vengeance series. Then dig deeper & watch Oasis. One of the most fucked up & beautiful films made.
We truly tried to look at every moment of that game and ask how the interactive aspect of our medium could evoke emotions from the player, connections & empathy with the characters, and create more engagement with the situation.
Uncharted 2 is a few days from turning 10? 🤦♂️ What a fun game that was to make! A turning point in my career. The team was firing on all cylinders & knew we were making something special. 🙏
Thx
@alexavard95
for asking me to chat. Glad too see some other old dogs in there too.
This has been a feature six months in the making, and I'm super proud of how it's turned out. RTs appreciated, and thanks to
@bruce_straley
,
@robhrr
, and everyone else who spoke to me to bring this retrospective to life.
#DeathStranding
art direction!!!
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
I could carry anything you want me to, around in that world. Hell, I could even carry a snarky little baby in a container full of orange goop. I don’t care. It looks amazing!
We dissected story structure & character arcs, took as much story out of cutscenes that we could, & created huge chunks of playable story moments. We constantly asked ourselves “How can we make a more playable story?”
Been running into a good problem lately. We’ve blurred the lines between story & gameplay so much I don’t know if docs should be saved in the story folder or design folder.
So I’m making a Destory folder. Or maybe Stesign. 🤔
🤓🎮👍
Design is so interesting. Just played 2 games w similar structures yet one had a level select menu that let me see my progress, the other didn't. The first gave me so much more reassurance & pleasure, yet the only difference was the menu layout.🤓
Every little thing matters!
Lastly, I really appreciate the passion MP fans have for the mode. We worked super hard to make it something special & as much as my tweet may have stung, I wanna say thanks for digging the game so much! ❤️ I too had the most epic MP matches playing
#Factions
- so I get it.
I know the team very well & trust them thoroughly! I also know what they’re working on & I can attest that SP & MP are both EXTREMELY ambitious. I can only joke because I’m friends w these people & I have absolute faith in what they’re doing.
All we ever strived to do at ND was deliver the best experiences we possibly could. This sometimes meant moving around staff in order to deliver on our own promises. And if that means MP is delayed for a bit this time around, well I can guarantee it’s for good reasons.