Uncharted 4 Director Calls God of War Laufey "Boring"

Bruce Straley has seen a lot in his career. The guy directed The Last of Us and multiple Uncharted games, so when he says something about AAA games, people tend to listen. And what he just said? It's not exactly a love letter.

In a recent interview reported by IGN, Straley admitted that big-budget commercial games have become "boring" to him. Part of the problem, he says, is that these massive productions just aren't taking enough risks anymore. They play it safe, and that safety comes at a cost.

He pointed directly at God of War Laufey as an example. Straley made it clear he respects the craft behind it. "Every pixel is incredible," he said, acknowledging the insane amount of work and technology packed into every frame. He even admitted that having made games like this himself, he's still blown away by what the team pulled off.

But here's where the enthusiasm fades. "When I actually look at what you do in the game? I'm not excited," Straley said. He was quick to clarify that this isn't a knock on the God of War team specifically. It's a broader issue. From his view, the AAA space just doesn't feel like it has room for fresh, innovative ideas anymore.

There's a bit of irony here, and IGN pointed it out. Straley himself helped shape what modern AAA games look like. Uncharted and The Last of Us basically became the blueprint for the wave of cinematic third-person action games we see everywhere today. So when he says the formula feels stale, he's speaking from experience.

After burning out hard from the intense grind of AAA development, Straley left Naughty Dog in 2017, right around when Uncharted 4: A Thief's End launched. He still got a special thanks in The Last of Us Part 2's credits, which says a lot about his legacy there.

These days, Straley is doing something smaller. He's working at his own studio, Wildflower Interactive, on a game called Chicken Foot Witch Gang. Quite the change of pace from the blockbuster world he used to run in.

So what do you think? Is Straley right that AAA games are stuck in a rut, or is he being too harsh on God of War Laufey? Drop your thoughts below.