The Last of Us Replaced Jak and Daxter 4

Naughty Dog has revealed that a new Jak and Daxter game was almost made instead of The Last of Us. Following Uncharted 2, Naughty Dog split into two teams and got ready to move onto its next game. That game was originally planned to be the next Jak and Daxter, but the team ran into trouble while attempting to design the game.

[iamtehpwn]

So many mixed emotions right now.

[Feralkitsune]

I know, Last of Us looks amazing.......but a new Jak game. My heart hurts.

[CryofSilence]

The title is misleading. They didn't do TLOU in lieu of Jak; instead, what they wanted to do was far better suited to a new IP. I think they did the fan base a great service by not releasing a game that is clearly not Jak but with the branding of one. I think they will return to the series if it was even under consideration; they just need to plan a game that is distinctly Jak.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

@CryofSilence

Well said.

When I read the title I was a bit upset, but then I actually read the article and found out that ND actually did the fans a great a service.

I wouldn't want a Jak game that isn't a Jak game. ND's ambitions for Jak 4 didn't match the previous Jak and Dax games so they decided not to do it, GOOD. I'm so glad ND didn't pull a Capcom and reboot the franchise. I'm also glad that ND didn't force themselves to make the game because it would have just been a chore for them and surely the game would have suffered because of that. Making TLoU instead was a good decision. Glad they aren't completely canning the idea of a Jak 4 though.

Edit

lol this article is old.

"February 6, 2012"

[Skips]

Don't give up hope my friend. Jak 4 could still make an appearance on the PS4.

[Ezz2013]

hmmm...guys
the article is 10 month ago guys it's so damn old

[crxss]

starting with a new IP instead of doing Jak 4 was a better idea.

[abzdine]

that's right! but what i'm hoping is that The Last of Us will be very different from Uncharted to appreciate it as a whole new thing.
I also hope they will keep on trying to make Jak and Daxter happen. Maybe Ready at Dawn could handle the project cause Daxter on PSP was amazing in every point!

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

"I know, Last of Us looks amazing.......but a new Jak game. My heart hurts."

why? they are working on another project right? ps4 is coming right?

Worth the wait imo.

At the latest it will come out same month as half life 3. :)

[Reverent]

If anything, ND's decision to do this only gives me more hope that they'd still consider making another Jak game. Like others have said above, I think there's a very good chance of seeing a new game on the PS4.

[SilentNegotiator]

"what they wanted to do was far better suited to a new IP. I think they did the fan base a great service by not releasing a game that is clearly not Jak but with the branding of one"

Then they've shown more discretion than Rare, Insomniac, and Activision combined with their handling of classic platformer IPs (Banjo, Ratchet, Crash & Spyro, etc).

[SilentNegotiator]

"At the latest it will come out same month as half life 3"

The 13th month of the year?

[Sharingan_no_Kakashi]

This news is very old...

[showtimefolks]

this isn't new news actually ND spoke about Jak4 when last of us was announced. I don't think Jak 4 is dead, ND will Visit that series when they feel the time is right and they could meet the high expections

[KangarooSam]

Damn it. I just started playing A Crack in Time, and I honestly didn't realize how much I miss my PS2 platformers. They are soooo good.

Edit: and damn, this is an old article.

[GraveLord]

You'll get over it. It's good to play a platformer once in a while but I couldn't imagine myself playing these games every year....they are a pretty niche genre on PS3 unless they are on PSN.

Don't worry Jak & Daxter fans. Maybe the other half of Naughty Dog is working on Jak 4 for the PS4 launch!

[yoshiroaka]

Support Sly 4 next year then! Because Sony has the great idea to launch it in February with the shit ton of other high profile stuff coming around the same time.

Then of course it wont sell well and they will say there is no market for it and we will never see one again :(

[BoNeSaW23]

If Sanzaru Games pulls off a hit with Sly 4 next year(which it looks like they will) maybe Sony will let them take on the Jak franchise.
That would be awesome!

Edit: After reading further down the comments there are a lot of Sanzaru comments. Listen to us SONY! Give Jak to Sanzaru!

[Soldierone]

Game looks fantastic! Already have it pre-ordered, can't wait to play on my Vita!

[Cam977]

Hitman: HD trilogy comes out then.
TLOU does too.
It's the same case with GRAND THEFT AUTO:V.
And Tomb Raider...

Some of these should've been postponed until the summer drought.

[abzdine]

i couldn't agree more. Day one purchase for me that's 4 sure! I always support games like this, and new concepts like Wonderbook, EyePet which are quite amazing tbh!

So again guys please support Sly: Thieves in Time in March! Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaase!

bubble up for you man

[bloodybutcher]

i must say i don't care much about platformers, never was into this genre. i loved lbp but only with coop, i found it not that interesting while playing alone:)

[jaggernaut25]

This was revealed in Game Informer's cover story about The Last of Us and several of their interviews months ago. I think it is a very good thing, personally.

[Jinkies]

It's a shame but in a small way they basicaly just told us what they are going to be doing after TLOU.

Jak 4 - big open map - GTA styled gameplay...it's going to be massive.

[Godchild1020]

We can hope they are going to do that or their other team is doing it. I personally like Team 1 to do it. With a Vita title to come along, just like Sly 4. Or maybe the team ( BT Games ) that did the HD Collection, are doing it.

[League_of_Draven]

I'd say it's worth it. Sanzaru Games could always make Jak & Daxter 4. They did a great job with Sly 4 from the looks of it.

[Riderz1337]

Give Jak 4 to Sanzaru!

Btw this article was written Feb 6 and it comes on N4G now? Wtf...

[Silly gameAr]

I don't think the people who approve articles care enough to check what they're approving anymore.

[PopRocks359]

It's a shame, but then it's not. The Last of Us looks like it has a ton of potential. Yet I am a huge fan of Jak, desperately itching for some HD Jak action.

Definitely a mixed bag, this one, but certainly not bad either way.

[cervantes99]

Jak 4 incoming for PS4!

[negroguy]

I like the idea that it's not out of the question just put on the back burner for now. I'm fine knowing we might get one down the road.

[silkrevolver]

They talked about this during their Gameinformer cover reveal like, a year ago.

They were in early planning stages when they decided it wouldn't work.

[KingOptimusAscend111]

:{

[chillhomie]

I was hoping this wouldn't be the case. Naughty Dog abandoning Jak & Daxter in favor of last of us (or any other game for that matter) I loved the Jak & Daxter series, there truly was no game quite like it. Last of Us will without a doubt be a great game but honestly its not my cup of tea I would've much preferred another Jak or a different genre besides a zombie/serious-toned game. I have enough of them, I want something unique. But hey that's just how I feel I understand others will feel the exact opposite and be glad Jak 4 got dumped in favor of last of us.

I hope the game does well because Naughty Dog is a great developer and I support them, just wont buy it.

Rant/over lol

[JKelloggs]

No one said they're abandoning it

[chillhomie]

True, but they also didn't say there is any sequels in the works at the moment. Its been 8 years since Jak 3 came out.

[sdozzo]

Big shoes to fill.

[DigitalAnalog]

At this point the J&D should just be released on the Vita with a different company (Sony Bend/Sanzaru). ND has gone above and beyond the tiers of it's previous franchises that falling back may actually hurt their potential. Not to mention the market is becoming more "mature" oriented which is why you are seeing games like TLOU being made instead.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love another J&D but the budget and risk to rebuild the franchise for future fans may be too much of a burden on them. The Vita, being a niche market is a far better suited platform to release the next re-iteration.

[miyamoto]

Agree

Like Uncharted GA it should be a collaboration between ND & Bend

[akaakaaka]

Good let good devs work on hardcore mature games and smaller studios take over this kind of games "j&d"
I don't understand why insomniac keep doing r&c games :/

I bet they are good games but not mature or hardcore and insomniac can do amazing mature games, resistance 3 has one of the best songle player campaign ever.

[princejb134]

because ratchet and clank games are awesome
but i do believe imsomniac should try something new also as much as i love ratchet and clank

[RevXM]

Well... Insomniac games presents:
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[InTheLab]

What's the ND team that did UC3 doing besides not making Jak 4?

[DigitalRaptor]

PS4 stuff. Uncharted 4 or new IP.

[TheBatman_Fanatic]

Now helping with The Last of Us more than likely

[kratoz1209]

^ Jak 4 PS4 Launch title :D

[shivvy24]

IF THAT HAPPENS I WILL BUY THE PS4 DAY 1

[WeAreLegion]

We already read this article a long time ago. Why did you post a new story about it?

[strigoi814]

Well i think jak will return anytime soon right naughty dog???

[jakmckratos]

This was from February? Also in the news WHitney Houston does coke.

[deadfrag]

It didnt work because they would had to make a new engine JUST for Jak and Daxter 4!

[poopsack]

Been said already but must be said again. Old News, they first revealed this when the game was revealed, Naughty Dog was being interviewed about how this game came into production, they said Jak 4 wasnt turning out to be something they were liking, so they went with TLOU. best decision ever, cause this looks amazing and it doesnt mean that Jak 4 isnt coming.

[Dragonlord112]

Well now am pissed cause I fucking loved the jak series, but don't get me wrong i think the last of us should be a great game... but still DAMITTTTT.

[xtreampro]

You're telling me that I waited an entire generation for Jak 4 only for it to be pushed aside to make way for TLOU? Why ND why?

I'm definitively getting TLOU but I wont be getting it day one like how I did with all the Uncharted games, I'm going to wait until it's in the bargain bin because this has just pissed me off.

It's like these devs just piss on your face and then getaway with it. All gen it's been "Oh! we'd love to do another jak game", Oh! the whole team keeps on remembering Jak" bla bla bla, only to end up with this!

"Every time we got excited about an idea we'd take a step back and look at it and be like 'It's not Jak and Daxter, are we just slapping the name on it for marketing reasons?'"

"It started feeling like a compromise," Druckmann added. "The more we tried to make Jak and Daxter like we wanted to, it didn't feel like things were matching up. We have folders and folders filled with scrapped ideas."

"All the ideas just started to feel like they were going so far away from what made Jak and Daxter Jak and Daxter," added studio co-founder Evan Wells. "Even though we wanted to give fans another Jak and Daxter, we felt we weren't going to give them the game that they wanted, and that we would end up either limiting the direction that the company had this passion for while simultaneously not creating the game that fans wanted. We just realized we were going to just do everybody a disservice."

What kind of nonsensical rubbish is this? it just sounds like ridiculous excuses for not wanting to make it. How can ND suddenly lose their creative direction?

[Godchild1020]

Take a look at the first 3 or 4 Ratchet & Clank games and then look at All 4 one and so on.

I'm happy they still think about it, but hold off because the idea they have is not genuine to the Jak & Daxter name. If you look at it this way; The last of Us is Jak & Daxter, Joel is jak, while Ellie is Daxter.

[Gamesgbkiller]

But :(

[BlaqMagiq24]

So basically you would still want a Jak and Daxter game even when it's NOT Jak and Daxter because I sure as hell don't. I'd rather they hold off until they get the perfect idea.

[Summons75]

Yeah how dare they hold off a well defined series when the ideas they had WOULDN'T WORK and make room for something brand new and different!!!

[sdplisken]

new ip ftw
can you imagine if all devs ever did were make the same games over and over?

remember jak n daxter was a new ip at one point
they can always have a comeback

[shivvy24]

i know they will have a comeback

[kingPoS]

Isn't Naughty Dog 4th title per gen usually a different kind of beast from the first three
Maybe they'll be some indirect ties to Uncharted?

New IP on for ps4Orbis. I'm calling it!

[shivvy24]

UnKarted Drakes Acceleration

[Gamesgbkiller]

I'm still sad about it ):
TLOU is a great looking game .. But instead of a new JAK game
Doesn't feel right.
Its like when there is a new crash game in development but they do something else .
I hope they didn't throw away the idea of a new JAK game.

[kingPoS]

I think ND sees that going past trilogies is like taking a gamble with quicksand. If that fourth sequel were to somehow become successful, Then that same sequel might well become a set of chains that hold you down and keep you from obtaining new IP. (cough, COD cough)

[Gamesgbkiller]

Ya. But look how when Ratchet and Clank first game on PS3 .
That one is great.
ND could do a lot.

[Gamesgbkiller]

BTW its old post from IGN.

[TheGOODKyle]

Wasn't this known awhile ago by a game informer mag I believe?

[llMurcielagoll]

THIS CANNOT BE!! NOOOO!!!!!!!!!

[PhunnyJesta]

like valve can only count to 2, naughty dog can only count to 3 and add a racer to the end. It is more likely to see uncharted racing then any 4th game to a series

[DJ]

Sanzura Games should do Jak 4.

[stage88]

Glad they went with TLOU. The Jak series is over, they had 3 games and an HD remake. Let it be now. So pumped for the last of us though!