Here’s some bad news for Jak and Daxter fans, yet a reason to remain hopeful. Naughty does not have any plans of making a new game for the series, but they are re-evaluating it.
During a panel at EGX 2015 (UK’s biggest gaming event), a fan asked the developers about a possible reboot for the franchise.
Naughty Dog community strategist Arne Meyer responded by saying:
“If you look at the concept art, Jak kind of looks weird, ‘anthropomorphized’, and realistic, and we knew that as a studio we were pushing towards grounded or more realistic games; this stylized realism concept – and Jak didn’t really fit into that direction that we were headed. So that’s why we ended up scrapping it at that point. Again, I will say ‘never say never’, but our studio right now is really focused on doing more realistic or grounded games. We’ll always re-evaluate it because I know people are always asking us about it, but it’s not the direction the studio is at right now.”
This makes sense given what happened to the reboot in the first place. Game director Neil Druckmann was responsible for Jak and Daxter’s reboot, but shifted the creative focus towards a new concept after feeling uninspired. In his 2012 interview with Game Informer, Druckmann mentioned that he did not want to make a game based on a marketing ploy. In other words, making a Jak and Daxter game just because the name alone will sell copies. His new concept became The Last of Us; a game so well received it is being considered the game of the generation by many gamers.
As for Jak and Daxter, Naughty Dog does not seem to be completely done with the series. The inspiration just has to be there.
Does Naughty Dog owe their fans a Jak and Daxter reboot, or should they continue working on games that inspire them? Let us know in the comments section.
