Naughty Dog Has to Avoid an Unfortunate Role Reversal With Its New IP

Naughty Dog is undoubtedly one of the premier development teams under the illustrious PlayStation banner. Acquired by Sony in 2001, Naughty Dog made a name for itself in its early days with the highly successful Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter franchises. 2007 marked a turning point for Naughty Dog, as the studio released Uncharted: Drake's Fortune that year and consequently spawned a beloved treasure-hunting series. Naughty Dog kept up its winning streak in the following decade with 2013's The Last of Us, 2016's Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, 2017's Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and finally, The Last of Us Part 2 in 2020. A track record this strong is difficult for many PlayStation studios to match, much less exceed.