Naughty Dog's next game similar to Mass Effect 2, says insider

PlayStation is in a strange ol’ predicament right now. On the whole, it’s been a rather lacklustre year for the company. Yes, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is shaping up nicely and I found Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores to be an exceptional expansion, but there’s no denying that Sony’s tentpole releases have been few and far between.

Beyond Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, it awaits to be seen what’s in store. Insomniac will move onto development of Marvel’s Wolverine, with some fans arguing that they’re carrying the PS5. We’re still unsure of what Santa Monica, Bend Studio, Guerrilla and Sucker Punch have in the works - and that’s just to name a small handful of studios. We’re in desperate need of a first-party focused State of Play, or perhaps we’ll have a fruitful Game Awards? Something’s gotta budge. It’s been three years since Naughty Dog released a brand new game and with their The Last of Us multiplayer release reportedly “on ice” and close to cancellation, one so-called insider is claiming they’re working on a new Mass Effect-esque IP.

Take a look at our preview of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 below.

An anonymous 4chan user took to the site to say, “Game is a third-person shooter and plays very similarly to Mass Effect 2 (with choice system, companions, and everything). Plot is about the discovery of a solar system that has a giant eye for a star in the galaxy, and [is] about human civilisation freaking out [that] it might do something horrific to them (think of Hellstar Remina). It's being announced this year. PS5 only. No word on PC version.”

It goes without saying that as this comes from an anonymous 4chan user, take everything with a generous pinch of salt. That being said, it has been rumoured for several years that Naughty Dog is cooking up a new sci-fi IP - and it would be great to see Sony establish a new franchise. We’ve had some incredible ones crop up in the last decade, and while I adore those IPs receiving sequels, you’ve got to prepare a couple of new ideas too.

Elsewhere in the post, the user claimed that the troubled TLOU multiplayer game was “close to completion”, saying it could release next year. They added that it plays like TLOU Part II but multiplayer with “huge maps and a personal survivor camp”. That’s not wholly surprising seeing as the game started out life as a simple multiplayer component to Part II which was eventually held back as a standalone release.

A remaster of TLOU Part II is rumoured to release next year, according to the user. This will coincide with a PC release of the game. It’s said that it’ll feature no story DLC, instead focusing on graphics upgrades. This does fit with what franchise composer Gustavo Santaolalla teased earlier this year. They finished by saying that TLOU Part III is in pre-production but could potentially be a PS6 title.

As I said, take all of this with a pinch of salt, but particularly the TLOU ‘leaks’ seem to be based on information that’s steadily been dropping over the last year. Clearly, Naughty Dog are busy in the kitchen. That’s for sure.