Earlier this week, Sony published an interview with The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann about the future of gaming. The president of Naughty Dog was quoted as saying the PlayStation studio’s next game “could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming.” In a shocking twist, Druckmann now says he never actually said that.
The interview in question went up alongside a strategy briefing by Sony to its investors. In addition to praising the potential for generative AI to transform how games are made, Druckmann appeared to make a grand pronouncement about Naughty Dog’s next, highly-anticipated PlayStation 5 game. “I’m eager to see how this new game resonates, especially following the success of The Last of Us, as it could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming,” the interview read.
In addition to getting picked up by several media outlets, including IGN which called it “big words,” the quote also went viral on social media, where it received widespread criticism. The reaction has now prompted Druckmann to correct the record. “This is not quite what I said,” the veteran gaming creative tweeted late on May 24.
“In editing my rambling answers in my recent interview with Sony, some of my words, context, and intent were unfortunately lost. Well, here’s the full long rambling answer for the final question about our future game.” Druckmann then proceeded to share an excerpt of the raw, unedited transcript from his conversation with the anonymous interviewe.
