One of the more intriguing rumors over the past few years has been the sci-fi game that may be in the works over at Naughty Dog. The Santa Monica-based developer could be dipping its does back into the science fiction realm for the first time since Jak and Daxter, a franchise it has not worked on in over a decade.
The information on this secret sci-fi title varies. There have been hints of a game named Savage Starlight thanks to an Easter egg in The Last of Us, a codename Stray's Cross has popped up online thanks to possible insider knowledge, and even the co-founder of Naughty Dog has teased at wanting to work on projects that would fall in line with something fresh and exciting for the developer. If any of the rumors are true, and for now they should likely be taken with a grain of salt, the Naughty Dog sci-fi game could be somewhat of a spiritual successor to Jak and Daxter.
Rumors on the Naughty Dog Sci-Fi Game
There are countless rumors about Naughty Dog's sci-fi title. The aforementioned Savage Starlight idea is one that picked up steam thanks to its place within The Last of Us. Naughty Dog likes to place Easter eggs within its own games that hint at future titles, as the apocalyptic world of The Last of Us was foretold within an Uncharted Easter egg; for example. Fans have wondered if the Savage Starlight collectible in The Last of Us is hinting at something more from Naughty Dog. However, the name Stray's Cross has taken off as of late as well.
Rumors started a few years back that Naughty Dog is working on an action-adventure named Stray's Cross. The details of the time of the leak had the game being played in the first-person perspective. Additionally, Stray's Cross would have steampunk elements and follow two protagonists (much like Jak and Daxter).
Although there is a lot of mystery around Stray's Cross, rumors and hints point to the idea that Naughty Dog and co-president Neil Druckmann are interested in a sci-fi game and taking the development team to new places. There would be a lot of value in capturing what the team has learned from games like Uncharted, The Last of Us, and its sci-fi days of Jak and Daxter and making something truly exciting with this now entirely new generation of video games.
The Evolution and Growth of Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog has a rich history, as it has worked on huge titles and franchises such as The Last of Us, Dream Zone, Uncharted, and Crash Bandicoot. The developer was founded back in 1984 under the name JAM Software (the name Naughty Dog took over in 1989). Naughty Dog is mostly known for being a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment, meaning it develops first-party titles for PlayStation.
Naughty Dog has been a very respected developer in the gaming industry, but it reached new heights of endearment with the Uncharted series, and then The Last of Us. While games like Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter are looked back on fondly, they may not be seen in the same light as some of the greatest story-telling games of all time in Uncharted and The Last of Us. That is not the scoff at a series like Jak and Daxter, by any means. Naughty Dog evolved over time. In fact, the developer likely took a lot of what it learned from the action-adventure and applied it to future titles; which it could again do with this rumored sci-fi game.
The Jak and Daxter Games
The Jak and Daxter series is now 20 years old, with the first releasing on the PS2 in 2001. The franchise launched the same year as Halo, but has not at all been able to reap the same type of long-term success. However, for a time the games were somewhat of the mascot of PlayStation.
The mainline trilogy released in just a three year-span; Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was the first, as Jak 2 launched in 2002 and Jak 3 released in 2004. Those three Jak and Daxter games were a huge hit, both among fans and for Naughty Dog. The developer did help with or work on a couple of Jak and Daxter spin-offs, but it quickly moved on to Uncharted after the release of Jak 3.
Jak X: Combat Racing released on the PS2 in 2005, Daxter was a PSP game that launched in 2006, and Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier in 2009 released on the PSP. Although a beloved series, Jak and Daxter was a bit of a flash in the pan, as only collections/re-releases have been released since The Lost Frontier, and Naughty Dog has confirmed that it is not working on any games in the Jak and Daxter universe.
The Jak and Daxter franchise incorporated science fiction, steampunk, and even cyberpunk elements into its gameplay and story. There are plenty of elements of Jak and Daxter that could easily return in the rumored Naughty Dog sci-fi game. Even if Jak and Daxter is gone, for now, it could spiritually return.
What a Modern Naughty Dog Could Do with Sci-Fi
Naughty Dog's recent franchises have been grounded--at least as grounded as something can be when globe traveling to steal ancient artifacts or when trying to escape from a natural organic zombie-like apocalypse. There certainly is a distinct difference between the recent games (Uncharted and The Last of Us) and Jak trying to help his buddy Daxter who was transformed into a talking ottsel (half otter, half weasel), and Crash Bandicoot who is a marsupial that wears jeans. The sci-fi angle of a new series could allow Naughty Dog to lean back into some of that less-grounded nature--at least a little bit.
Seeing a grounded sci-fi Naughty Dog game in space could certainly be exciting, as well. That would be the decision that the developer would need to make. But Druckmann has also talked about wanting to make a Cowboy Bebop or Ghost Rider type game, and that could certainly lean more towards hoverboards, cooky characters, and even "unrealistic" non-human beings.
Although it has been some time, Naughty Dog has proven to be a sound developer of over-the-top action adventures as well as games with grounded story-telling. The award-winning developer could certainly take things that it has learned from Uncharted and The Last of Us, but also create a spiritual successor to Jak and Daxter, and make an interesting and special sci-fi.