With Neil Druckmann now taking on even more responsibility within Naughty Dog, the future of the studio is certainly bright. While all the studio’s games are crafted by a huge team full of great developers who deserve plenty of credit, recent releases have been elevated greatly by Druckmann’s writing and directing. As such, it is worth considering what games he is personally interested in making, and going with his top pick after The Last of Us is retired makes perfect sense.While The Last of Us’ multiplayer spin-off will hopefully still release, and The Last of Us Part 3 seems more likely than not, what Naughty Dog does beyond that is a mystery. Considering that Uncharted was retired despite its remarkable sales, The Last of Us could meet a similar fate. Rumors have suggested that a sci-fi game from Naughty Dog could be in the works, and it would likely be lighter in tone, but if Naughty Dog wants to tell another dark tale to fill a void when The Last of Us saga is complete, then Marvel’s Punisher could be the perfect option.
Naughty Dog is Perfect For a Punisher Video Game
In 2021, Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller asked Neil Druckmann what properties he would be interested in adapting for a video game. Similar questions have led to interesting responses over the years, like Cory Barlog’s dream Mandalorian video game, and Neil Druckmann’s answer was certainly memorable. While Neil would be interested in making a game for established IPs like Hotline Miami and Half Life, he also listed the Marvel heroes Punisher and Ghost Rider alongside Cowboy Bebop. Intriguingly, The Punisher was his number one choice.
Thanks to unforgettable comic book runs like Punisher MAX by Garth Ennis and a terrific television series starring Jon Bernthal, The Punisher stands out as one of Marvel’s most prestigious characters. While a poor writer would make a Punisher project that comes off as mindless killing, with Frank Castle himself turned into little more than a boring killer, a talented writer and director like Neil Druckmann would work wonders with Marvel’s deadliest anti-hero.
The violent world of The Last of Us proves that Naughty Dog would be uncompromising, showing the violent nature of Frank Castle at every turn. However, the franchise’s beautifully written characters like Ellie and Abby are proof that Naughty Dog’s Frank Castle would have a lot of depth as well. Players could see the toll his rampages take on him, experience the events that made Frank who he is, and so on. Naughty Dog’s mostly linear gameplay style suits Frank as well, as he would not be suitable for an open world like Spider-Man.
With fellow Sony-owned studio Insomniac Games exploring the Marvel universe with its Marvel’s Spider-Man games and the upcoming Marvel’s Wolverine, there is already a working relationship in place between PlayStation and the comic book brand. Additionally, Naughty Dog has such an incredible reputation that Marvel would be making a huge mistake not to let the developer tell a story with one if its best characters, as such a project would be a guaranteed success. While there is nothing indicating that this game is anything more than a pipe dream on Druckmann’s part, it is hard to imagine Marvel not having interest if the idea was properly proposed.
Obviously, Naughty Dog should not become a studio fully focused on adaptations, as its original content is some of the very best in the history of video games. Still, one adaptation alongside all the original IPs would not hurt, especially when The Punisher is such a perfect fit for the developer. Hopefully, this match made in heaven becomes more than just a Tweet, with Druckmann getting his chance to tell an original Frank Castle story with all the Naughty Dog polish.
