Ex-Naughty Dog Dev Apologizes to God of War Studio Over Laufey Comments

Did you hear about the former Naughty Dog director who had to eat his words after trashing a highly anticipated game? Bruce Straley, the man behind Uncharted and The Last of Us, found himself in hot water after saying he wasn't excited about God of War: Laufey. But now he's saying sorry.

In an interview with Edge, Straley admitted that "every pixel" in Laufey looks "mindblowing" and that he was "blown away" by Santa Monica Studio's work. However, he also said he wasn't excited by "what you're doing in the game." He went on to express frustration with AAA games in general, claiming there's "no opportunity to inject fresh, innovative ideas."

That comment didn't sit well with fans or the developers, and Straley quickly realized his mistake. In a social media statement, he apologized to the Laufey team: "I want to apologize to the Laufey team for dragging you all into this uninvited and unnecessary negative attention." He explained that he was trying to make a broader point about the AAA industry, but naming Laufey was a misstep. "I stuck my foot in my mouth & mentioned Laufey, and that was my mistake," he said.

Straley's concerns about the industry are worth hearing, though. He pointed to classics like Half-Life 2, Gears of War, and BioShock—along with his own Uncharted 2 and The Last of Us—as games that "set the 'modern AAA' mold" by trying to create new experiences. But now, he sees a troubling trend: chasing "games-as-a-service" in hopes of making the next Overwatch or Fortnite. He called that "not a viable strategy" and said it shows industry leaders "don't know their own brand."

He also believes the industry suffers from a "lack of good leadership, clear direction, and conviction from the people at the top." Since those people control the money, they determine the stability of the business. "I believe if they understand their brand, they could have honest, inspiring conversations with creators to steer our medium to innovate," Straley said.

These days, Straley is working on much smaller projects. His new indie studio, Wildflower Interactive, is developing Coven of the Chickenfoot, a puzzle-platformer where you play as an elderly witch named Gertie. Gertie teams up with a creature-companion she can't speak to, so you'll need to "discover the creature's true intentions" through environmental storytelling. Originally, Xbox was set to publish the game before dropping it, according to another developer. It's still in the works, backed by an unknown financier.

So, what do you think? Was Straley right to speak out about AAA games, or should he have kept his thoughts to himself? And will you be checking out Coven of the Chickenfoot when it launches? Let us know in the comments!