Naughty Dog‘s next game has potentially been teased in The Last of Us Part 1, with eagle-eyed viewers uncovering what seems to be an Easter egg in the game.
The Last of Us Part 1 released last week, providing a PS5 update to the classic PS3 game. While the new game is a rebuild of the original game rather than a remake, players have still scoured its world to unearth any major changes that have been made since the original. One such change is the subtle addition of posters on a noticeboard, which contains mysterious artwork that could be a teaser for Naughty Dog’s next project.
Naughty Dog fantasy IP teased in TLoU Part 1
The artwork in question is fantasy-themed, depicting various characters either facing off against or partnered with mythical creatures. Aside from the fantasy setting, the pieces of art don’t share much in common thematically, though one in particular — a woman next to a white deer — is curiously realistic.
Fans are speculating that art in TLOU1 are indicative of Naughty Dog's new IP. Seemingly would be a fantasy setting.
what do you think? pic.twitter.com/IV9tZZqULW
— Naughty Dog Central (@NaughtyNDC) September 5, 2022
There has already been speculation that Naughty Dog’s next IP will have a fantasy setting. Back in 2021, a concept artist working for the studio tweeted three pieces of artwork under the title ‘The Women of North,’ though quickly dispelled rumors by claiming that the images were inspired by Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (via PlayStation LifeStyle).
Then in March 2022, Twitter user @OopsLeaks claimed that the studio was working on a new fantasy IP that’s in full production. However, this leaker doesn’t have an established track record with their claims, outside of predictions for games like BioShock 4 and The Last of Us’ multiplayer game that have yet to come to fruition.
It remains to be seen if this artwork is reflective of a new Naughty Dog project, or is just some artwork the company decided to add to The Last of Us Part 1 to pique players’ interest.
In other news, a new TMNT game is set to be released in 2023. Also, The Callisto Protocol is set to receive four years of DLC and updates.
