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[Tchu-Espresso]

And adding PSSR and calling it a day isn't lazy or low effort now? This is exactly what ND did with TLoU and SM with GOWR. This is no different than adding FSR/DLSS/XeSS, small patch is enough.
Indiana Jones is using cheap TAA technique to reach 4K so adding PSSR for example would lower base resolution. End effect could be better but there is no guarantee with RTGI in play.

Of course we all want to see high effort ports/patches, something like added RT in performance mode in Callisto, same story with gameplay RT in GT7, quality mode settings in performance mode in KCD2, more RT options like in Insomniac games etc.

But sadly most Pro versions will end up with low effort ports because install base is super small. This is not much different than PS4 Pro situation, Naughty Dog just increased resolution to 1440p and that's it... They are super lazy when it comes to this, I would say more lazy than machine games.

In addition to using PSSR to lower the base resolution, they could have upped any of the obvious graphical settings (besides what appears to be a minor improvement to god rays) perhaps even with use of hardware VRS. These would have been better options than nuking the frametime budget by increasing the resolution to native 4K which is basically imperceptible from 1800p at normal viewing distances and is in itself a practice which is less and less common for a reason.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Can you tell us what ND should have done differently?

No, I'm not a developer or understand game development. I just know a flagship first party studio should be going above and beyond to tweak their games for their companies latest release in hardware. And if they are doing similar results to none first party studios then that is a fair baseline, other developers shouldn't be attacked and called lazy etc when they are just following the standards set for the platform.

 

[DenchDeckard]

See how people give up the game when they can't answer simple questions?

If a studio implements PSSR or an equivalent solution, I'm not going to call their implementation lazy, unless they've done a poor job with PSSR or the equivalent solution.

Even games that include RTX enhancements, I generally don't care about them because I'm likely to play in performance mode for the higher frame rates. So, that just seems like a bonus.

That said, I'm not expecting games that didn't have RT to magically add RT just for PS5 Pro. Maybe if the PC version had RT.

Completely agree on the RT point. I'm not expecting a studio to add rt to a none rt game. But I am sure there are plenty of other features they can bump or improve.

 

[Gaiff]

No, I'm not a developer or understand game development.

Now you're suddenly too ignorant to do so?

I just know a flagship first party studio should be going above and beyond to tweak their games for their companies latest release in hardware. And if they are doing similar results to none first party studios then that is a fair baseline, other developers shouldn't be attacked and called lazy etc when they are just following the standards set for the platform.

Once again, above and beyond how? Naughty Dog cannot make something out of nothing. The Pro has 3 pillars and 2 of them are in use to great effect in TLOU Part I. Short of adding RT, they did everything that was possible with what they had. In Indiana Jones' case, they definitely could have enhanced the quality of the RTGI and added PSSR. This warrants criticism.

Your beef at that point is with the Pro itself, not what ND did with it. We can't just ignore the base game and pretend every game can have the same enhancements. Come on.

 

[Fabieter]

I'm not really sure what else they could have done with the Pro version of the game. The boost to resolution is more or less in-line with the GPU and RT upgrades. Lowering the resolution for PSSR could have freed up GPU resources but the issue with that is that the really transformative RT features of the game are likely still too heavy for the Pro to be worth the resolution hit. Being mostly native 4K/60fps with RTGI is perfectly fine.

So you think machine games maxed out the pro on this one?

 

[Bojji]

Can you tell us what ND should have done differently?

First they would have to do any job for base PS5 "remaster", outside of loading it's pretty much the same game as PS4 Pro code running on PS5.

Adding PSSR to the game is no different than GOW getting FSR2 patch on PC, small update that don't require much effort. They could have increased settings: shadows/draw distance/models or added Ray tracing to the game (even fucking from software could do it or small AA devs).

They have done nothing like that just like the didn't with Unchated 4, LL and TLoU2 on PS4 Pro... Not to mention horrible PC port of part 1 and bad port of part 2.

This studio was one of the best in the industry when it comes to tech stuff...

 

[Shmunter]

 

[Gaiff]

First they would have to do any job for base PS5 "remaster", outside of loading it's pretty much the same game as PS4 Pro code running on PS5.

I'm talking about the Pro vs PS5 version specifically. What they did with this "remaster" as you so eloquently put is a discussion.

Adding PSSR to the game is no different than GOW getting FSR2 patch on PC, small update that don't require much effort. They could have increased settings: shadows/draw distance/models or added Ray tracing to the game (even fucking from software could do it or small AA devs).

Yeah, so like I said before, short of adding ray tracing, there's not much more they could have done. Increasing settings was of course an alternative, but GPU resources are a zero sum game. This would have come at the expense of IQ. You would have had better graphics, but with likely a similar resolution. ND opted for the resolution.

They have done nothing like that just like the didn't with Unchated 4, LL and TLoU2 on PS4 Pro... Not to mention horrible PC port of part 1 and bad port of part 2.

This studio was one of the best in the industry when it comes to tech stuff...

We talked a lot about the PC port and you know my stance on that.

 

[Bojji]

I'm talking about the Pro vs PS5 version specifically. What they did with this "remaster" as you so eloquently put is a discussion.

Yeah, so like I said before, short of adding ray tracing, there's not much more they could have done. Increasing settings was of course an alternative, but GPU resources are a zero sum game. This would have come at the expense of IQ. You would have had better graphics, but with likely a similar resolution. ND opted for the resolution.

We talked a lot about the PC port and you know my stance on that.

OPTIONS, this is what could have been done, they don't have to do everything at the same time. They could have done the same thing that insomniac did: just add PSSR to performance mode and THEN add more options for players that want higher settings.

PSSR looks really good in Part 1 and 2 but it's not exactly because they worked hard on patches, PSSR was just dropped into game files (DLSS/FSR style), most of the hard work was done by other people.

ND is the most lazy studio Sony has right now.

 

[Zathalus]

So you think machine games maxed out the pro on this one?

Not sure, but the resolution uplift over the base PS5 is impressive. I supposed they could have used VRS, but the game is so close or at native 4K most of the time so it seems pointless. Maybe PSSR and VRS could have been used together for better RT effects, but upscaling from a lower resolution and VRS can lead to some really bad results.

 

[Fabieter]

Not sure, but the resolution uplift over the base PS5 is impressive. I supposed they could have used VRS, but the game is so close or at native 4K most of the time so it seems pointless. Maybe PSSR and VRS could have been used together for better RT effects, but upscaling from a lower resolution and VRS can lead to some really bad results.

Well it's not way to know for sure but the stronger ray tracing capabilities of the pro should be more visible imo.

We will get a strong data point in May if Maschine Games was lazy or on point tho.

 

[SKYF@ll]

Well it's not way to know for sure but the stronger ray tracing capabilities of the pro should be more visible imo.

We will get a strong data point in May if Maschine Games was lazy or on point tho.

Let's hope for an update that will replace the BVH4 code for PS5 and Xbox Series X with the BVH8 code for RDNA4 (PS5 Pro).

 

[Mibu no ookami]

They have done nothing like that just like the didn't with Unchated 4, LL and TLoU2 on PS4 Pro... Not to mention horrible PC port of part 1 and bad port of part 2.

This studio was one of the best in the industry when it comes to tech stuff...

I hope you realize how laughable you sound when you say things like this.

OPTIONS, this is what could have been done, they don't have to do everything at the same time. They could have done the same thing that insomniac did: just add PSSR to performance mode and THEN add more options for players that want higher settings.

PSSR looks really good in Part 1 and 2 but it's not exactly because they worked hard on patches, PSSR was just dropped into game files (DLSS/FSR style), most of the hard work was done by other people.

ND is the most lazy studio Sony has right now.

Insomniac's games already utilized RT. Their options are all RT related... Naughty Dog's games don't utilize RT. Why? Because their last original game came out in 2020 and their engine has not introduced RT to this point.

Insomniac added RT to Spider-Man Remastered, because they had already added RT to Spider-Man Miles Morales. Obviously, it doesn't have RT on PS4.

PSSR looks really good in Part 1 and 2 but they didn't work hard on those patches, they just dropped it into game files... Do you realize how dumb that sounds? And all the games that PSSR doesn't look good on?

ND is one of the only studios Sony has that didn't jump to reutilize assets from PS4 titles on their next major release, but here you are calling them lazy... It's kind of wild. Intergalactic looks miles ahead of anything Insomniac has put out on PS5 and we haven't even seen it running on PS5 Pro. TLOUP1 and P2 look better than 95% of other Ps5 titles and runs better too.

I'm glad you got your account back.

 

[Bojji]

PSSR looks really good in Part 1 and 2 but they didn't work hard on those patches, they just dropped it into game files... Do you realize how dumb that sounds? And all the games that PSSR doesn't look good on?

ND is one of the only studios Sony has that didn't jump to reutilize assets from PS4 titles on their next major release, but here you are calling them lazy... It's kind of wild. Intergalactic looks miles ahead of anything Insomniac has put out on PS5 and we haven't even seen it running on PS5 Pro. TLOUP1 and P2 look better than 95% of other Ps5 titles and runs better too.

I'm glad you got your account back.

PSSR was done by sony, studios just drop it into their games like DLSS/XeSS/FSR2 before. This is nothing new (it was new in 2020).

PSSR not working correctly in some games was probably Sony fault, developers don't have access to the algorithm itself so if it creates artifacts (like in jedi survivor) it means that PSSR is not compatible with the stuff game is doing. Same is true with DLSS4 for example, it created issues in some games that are not present with DLSS3 (it's still in the beta I think...).

Intergalactic is just trailer and naughty dog was creating fake trailers for almost every game they released in last 20 years... Don't compare it with finished games.

 

[Fess]

they do direct comparison with the PS5 and the XSX multiple times through the video and they've done that consistently since the PS5 Pro launched. What they haven't done is put the XSX in direct comparison with the PS5 Pro if it was less flattering to the XSX.

That comparison is there, PS5 is just in between. And they say it's visual parity between the two mainstream platforms so you can use the PS5 shots as XSX shots if you want Pro side-by-side with XSX.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

Have you guys noticed ...if a subpar port releases on PC, Alex will call it out but if the same happens on console the other 3 DF reviewers will put some positive spin on it?

The same type of thing happens on a larger scale...if a game releases on PC and lacks features the devs usually issue a statement right away and fix the issues/add missing features within a couple weeks. ..

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

I hope you realize how laughable you sound when you say things like this.



Insomniac's games already utilized RT. Their options are all RT related... Naughty Dog's games don't utilize RT. Why? Because their last original game came out in 2020 and their engine has not introduced RT to this point.

Insomniac added RT to Spider-Man Remastered, because they had already added RT to Spider-Man Miles Morales. Obviously, it doesn't have RT on PS4.

PSSR looks really good in Part 1 and 2 but they didn't work hard on those patches, they just dropped it into game files... Do you realize how dumb that sounds? And all the games that PSSR doesn't look good on?

ND is one of the only studios Sony has that didn't jump to reutilize assets from PS4 titles on their next major release, but here you are calling them lazy... It's kind of wild. Intergalactic looks miles ahead of anything Insomniac has put out on PS5 and we haven't even seen it running on PS5 Pro. TLOUP1 and P2 look better than 95% of other Ps5 titles and runs better too.

I'm glad you got your account back.

Naughty Dog did a half assed job with the LoU2 Ps5 "remaster" - that's a fact. Just like Indiana they just raised native resolution and called it a day. I remember when remasters used to have improvements to settings almost across the board. Naughty Dog remembers too ...Last of Us ps4 remaster was a real remaster unlike the sad remasters we got from a few Sony games this generation.

No need to defend that.

As far as the Pro versions? There's plenty more they could have done aside from just pssrb.. how is that controversial? Right off the bat I'll point out how poor the shadow quality can still be in certain areas of that game ...they didn't improve shadows for Ps5's remaster and they didn't for the Pro either AND, on the topic of PSSR, when's the last time you played LoU2 on Pro? The Santa Barbara levels shadows are all sorts of messed up on the Pro it's shocking that ND would leave a part of their game in such a broken state!

Seriously I ask you to replay that area... I don't think it looked like that on PS4 pro or Ps5 ....shadows are flickering in and out and are incredibly low resolution ....it is ugly and distracting and blows me away that ND doesn't care to fix it ..but ND has been perplexing in their behavior this gen and same with Sony with their "remasters" and the poor support in general that they've given to the Pro.

There's no good reason to defend ND or Sony with stuff like this. I also noticed you asked about PSSR and it's issues. It's well documented that pssr was garbo when it came to RT noise in quite a few games ...DD2, gt7, hogwarts (not that bad but even DF felt the need to show issues), silent hill 2 (probably the worst game), sw jedi survivor, black ops 6 (no rt but pssr was initially totally broken and the devs had to go on record about the pssr lack of denoising), avatar and sw outlaws all had poor pssr and most of them still do.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

Not sure, but the resolution uplift over the base PS5 is impressive. I supposed they could have used VRS, but the game is so close or at native 4K most of the time so it seems pointless. Maybe PSSR and VRS could have been used together for better RT effects, but upscaling from a lower resolution and VRS can lead to some really bad results.

Why couldn't they have simply left the resolution the same as SX and increased the RTGi setting? Lower than low PC? Thats really weak....makes me wonder if the Pro is missing some of the updates that the SX received post launch because I've seen people here saying that rtgi had been "fixed" only SX and raised to PCs high setting ....

This game had so much potential on the Pro ...just improving the rtgi or shadow quality would've made a big difference and would've been enough to make Pro owners feel like we got a proper upgrade ...

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

People calling Naughty Dog lazy like...wtf did you want them to do for the PS5 remaster of TLOU2?

That game still is one of the best looking games ever released 5 years later. Bumping resolutions, framerates, cutscene models on gameplay segments, etc...that's basically what they did with TLOU remaster on PS4. They still included new game modes, etc...

The remake for the first game they did was also great. Basically everything had new assets.

Lets not pretend they are just not doing anything inside that studio. Since TLOU2 came out they released one remaster, one remake, made an entire online game that got canceled and are working on a new IP they announced. Things don't just happen from one year to another.

Calling game devs "lazy" is such a bad excuse...if they were "lazy" Sony would have shut them out years ago. They didn't have a problem to do that with studios like Japan studios once they kept releasing nothing.

 

[kevboard]

Why couldn't they have simply left the resolution the same as SX and increased the RTGi setting? Lower than low PC? Thats really weak....makes me wonder if the Pro is missing some of the updates that the SX received post launch because I've seen people here saying that rtgi had been "fixed" only SX and raised to PCs high setting ....

This game had so much potential on the Pro ...just improving the rtgi or shadow quality would've made a big difference and would've been enough to make Pro owners feel like we got a proper upgrade ...

do we even know it's still below PC low? they have patched the RTGI multiple times now.

 

[viveks86]

Since TLOU2 came out they released one remaster, one remake, made an entire online game that got canceled and are working on a new IP they announced. Things don't just happen from one year to another.

There is one more single player game that is not TLOU that they are working on. I wonder if we'll get an announcement before intergalactic is out though…

 

[Fabieter]

do we even know it's still below PC low? they have patched the RTGI multiple times now.

It depends if we believe what was said in the video.

 

[viveks86]

This game had so much potential on the Pro ...just improving the rtgi or shadow quality would've made a big difference and would've been enough to make Pro owners feel like we got a proper upgrade ...

You want Xbox to make Pro owners feel good about their purchase?

I think the decision would have been to maintain parity so they don't cannibalize sales/MAU on their own platform, but at the same time not get flak for a poor port.

 

[Fabieter]

You want Xbox to make Pro owners feel good about their purchase?

I think the decision would have been to maintain parity so they don't cannibalize sales/MAU on their own platform, but at the same time not get flak for a poor port.

The best decision is to offer the most valuable product you possibly can.

 

[Hohenheim]

Nice to see more games being available for more folks!
But this is a PC game first through and through.
Reminds me a bit of Cyberpunk in that regard. (Many compromises on the console versions)

 

[Perrott]

There is one more single player game that is not TLOU that they are working on. I wonder if we'll get an announcement before intergalactic is out though…

It really depends on whether that second project is the next Naughty Dog release (now that we know that Intergalactic is 2027) or not. I'm tempted to say that it will be, and that we might see the Naughty Dog logo at a Sony event this year thinking that they'll show off more of Intergalactic but it will end up being the second game, led by The Lost Legacy co-director and Part I director Shaun Escayg.

 

[adamsapple]

SX is a beast.

 

[SKYF@ll]

SX is a beast.

The difference in memory bandwidth was reflected in the benchmark results.
PS5:448GB/s , XSX:560GB/s , PS5 Pro:578GB/s *PS5 & XSX:-1800p , PS5 Pro:-2160p

 

[Mibu no ookami]

It really depends on whether that second project is the next Naughty Dog release (now that we know that Intergalactic is 2027) or not. I'm tempted to say that it will be, and that we might see the Naughty Dog logo at a Sony event this year thinking that they'll show off more of Intergalactic but it will end up being the second game, led by The Lost Legacy co-director and Part I director Shaun Escayg.

I would not be surprised if they announce TLOUP3 as we get closer to 2028.

I have some doubts that they would work on two original IP at once, but it is possible, especially based on Neil's comments about turning Naughty Dog into an IP powerhouse.

The problem is they should really be expanding (they had layoffs) and utilizing as much of their IP as they can around the latest engine. I think some of their franchise decisions as a studio have left a lot to be desired.

 

[mckmas8808]

I would not be surprised if they announce TLOUP3 as we get closer to 2028.

I have some doubts that they would work on two original IP at once, but it is possible, especially based on Neil's comments about turning Naughty Dog into an IP powerhouse.

The problem is they should really be expanding (they had layoffs) and utilizing as much of their IP as they can around the latest engine. I think some of their franchise decisions as a studio have left a lot to be desired.

It was the screw up with TLOU Online that was the problem.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

It was the screw up with TLOU Online that was the problem.

Eh, I think it's overstated. They did have layoffs, but it was probably mostly contract workers, non-essential employees, QA, and specifically people brought on for multiplayer as well as the director of the project. Mostly positions that didn't make sense if you didn't have a game coming out immediately or have projects that these people made sense for.

They're actually hiring at a pretty healthy clip. Headcount in the last 6 months is up 7% on LinkedIn. They only have 3-4 current openings, so my guess is that there is a general hiring freeze at the moment for most departments.

They're probably bigger now than they were before the layoffs.

 

[RJMacready73]

Am I reading a ND post or a MG post FFS, also calling ND lazy.. jesus TLOU2 still to this day looks incredible on the base PS5 as does the remake Pt1, I was in absolute awe at some of those levels.. anyways back to Machine Games, this weak ass Pro port has made my day, I was starting to get serious FOMO and felt like I was missing out but this just saved me near £800 tbh, if Indy game out with the RT looking more like a high end PC I probably would've bit.

Bumping the rez to near 4k is an absolute fucking waste of resources considering most people play these consoles couch based and not stuck on a desk face 2ft from a wee screen so you're never seeing a difference from 1800p to 2160p, I never notice the resolution drops on games, why didn't they boost all the other graphical sliders??? The RT on PC is light years ahead of the Pro, scenes look completely different, materials look completely different and Sony wants us to blow £800 for an extra 30 frames a second??! Not this chap, I think I'll just wait this one out and buy a PS6

 

[mckmas8808]

Eh, I think it's overstated. They did have layoffs, but it was probably mostly contract workers, non-essential employees, QA, and specifically people brought on for multiplayer as well as the director of the project. Mostly positions that didn't make sense if you didn't have a game coming out immediately or have projects that these people made sense for.

They're actually hiring at a pretty healthy clip. Headcount in the last 6 months is up 7% on LinkedIn. They only have 3-4 current openings, so my guess is that there is a general hiring freeze at the moment for most departments.

They're probably bigger now than they were before the layoffs.

I was thinking about how ND had a huge opportunity cost and financial lost with TLOU Online. You can't get that time or money back.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I was thinking about how ND had a huge opportunity cost and financial lost with TLOU Online. You can't get that time or money back.

The entire studio was never working on it. Even before it was cancelled it had been reportedly shelved.

Definitely resources spent, but I think it's overstated by fans. Especially when the content will probably end up in a future game.

 

[mckmas8808]

The entire studio was never working on it. Even before it was cancelled it had been reportedly shelved.

Definitely resources spent, but I think it's overstated by fans. Especially when the content will probably end up in a future game.

If the content ends up in TLOU3, then all is saved and no love lost. That'll be the greatest thing that could happen to a TLOU game at this point. I never worry about the SP content in it.

 

[RJMacready73]

If the content ends up in TLOU3, then all is saved and no love lost. That'll be the greatest thing that could happen to a TLOU game at this point. I never worry about the SP content in it.

I doubt that, surely the MP game would've been based around the zones/areas from TLOU2 and therefore utilized those assets, Part3 would need to be taking part somewhere completely different and using all new assets, either way it's such a shame that we'll never get to see it or what they created, still don't know why Sony didn't take what ND had did and give it to another studio to finish/maintain

 

[Perrott]

I would not be surprised if they announce TLOUP3 as we get closer to 2028.

I have some doubts that they would work on two original IP at once, but it is possible, especially based on Neil's comments about turning Naughty Dog into an IP powerhouse.

The problem is they should really be expanding (they had layoffs) and utilizing as much of their IP as they can around the latest engine. I think some of their franchise decisions as a studio have left a lot to be desired.

I agree in that it is unlikely that they'll want to pursue the development of two original IPs simultaneously. In my opinion, that's not gonna happen -- Intergalactic will have to do as their "new thing" for the next decade.

In regards to the second game, I don't feel that it is The Last Of Us Part III -- which if it is still in development in any capacity after those Neil Druckmann comments, then it might even be the studio's third game, as well as the one in the most embryonic state at the moment given how Intergalactic seems to be Neil's creative priority when it comes to game development.

Going back to the second game, the Shaun Escayg game, I'm inclined to believe that it might be that rumored singleplayer The Last Of Us spin-off with new characters that was discussed a few months back. It would just make sense to have something along those lines in the pipeline, especially as it must have begun conception at a time in which Naughty Dog were witnesses to both the success of the HBO show and the de-escalation of their multiplayer efforts with TLOU Online. Plus, looking at a potential release date, a spin-off game could very well be made to coincide with the arrival of the HBO show's third season while leveraging the asset work that had gone into the 2022 remake and the canned multiplayer game.

I doubt that, surely the MP game would've been based around the zones/areas from TLOU2 and therefore utilized those assets, Part3 would need to be taking part somewhere completely different and using all new assets, either way it's such a shame that we'll never get to see it or what they created, still don't know why Sony didn't take what ND had did and give it to another studio to finish/maintain

The Last Of Us Online was set to take place in an open-world San Francisco, which was on many levels a departure from Part II which took place mostly around Seattle. Sure, Part II's epilogue takes place in Santa Barbara, California, but I doubt there was much artistic and technological overlap between the two games, especially with TLOU Online being built from the ground up for PS5, same as Intergalactic.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I agree in that it is unlikely that they'll want to pursue the development of two original IPs simultaneously. In my opinion, that's not gonna happen -- Intergalactic will have to do as their "new thing" for the next decade.

In regards to the second game, I don't feel that it is The Last Of Us Part III -- which if it is still in development in any capacity after those Neil Druckmann comments, then it might even be the studio's third game, as well as the one in the most embryonic state at the moment given how Intergalactic seems to be Neil's creative priority when it comes to game development.

If ultimately, the goal for Naughty Dog to release a new game every 3 years and the average development time on these games was 6 years, they'd have to work on 2 games at a time.

That doesn't seem like much of a stretch. Even with one of those games being cancelled.

We're currently nearing 5 years since a release of a net new game, but we know Intergalactic has been in development since 2000. We also know that TLOU Online was canceled officially in 2023. If they started another game at least when this was cancelled, we'd still be in the arena of seeing another game come out by 2029. And that is assuming they didn't already have other projects in the works, which we've heard they did.

Going back to the second game, the Shaun Escayg game, I'm inclined to believe that it might be that rumored singleplayer The Last Of Us spin-off with new characters that was discussed a few months back. It would just make sense to have something along those lines in the pipeline, especially as it must have begun conception at a time in which Naughty Dog were witnesses to both the success of the HBO show and the de-escalation of their multiplayer efforts with TLOU Online. Plus, looking at a potential release date, a spin-off game could very well be made to coincide with the arrival of the HBO show's third season while leveraging the asset work that had gone into the 2022 remake and the canned multiplayer game.

If they took the same time to make TLOUP3 as they did with TLOUP2 (six years) and started today, it would release by 2031... But we also know that Season 1 aired in 2023 and was a massive hit. If they started then, we'd be looking at 2029. Which really lines up with why they might have canceled TLOU, to focus on a single player title as quickly as they could.

I don't think their focus will be spin-offs at this point. I think they at most do one more game in this franchise before moving on to something else.

In a perfect world Naughty Dog would essentially have 3 full sized-ish teams. Two working on franchise games and another working on original IP. As I mentioned before, you really want to be in that new game every 3 years area. It means you generally have two game releases a generation plus a cross gen title, or depending on how it falls two cross gen titles book-ended.

If they were smart, they'd be working on TLOU3 (with a multiplayer mode based on the work they already did), Uncharted 5/Uncharted Reboot ala God of War 2018, and Intergalactic.

They need to figure out some way to keep their franchises alive whether that be through expanding as a studio or outsourcing IP to other studios.