Developer addresses fan speculation
Naughty Dog, a studio seemingly locked into makingUnchartedandThe Last of Usreleasesuntil the end of time, has closed down internet hopes that it is secretly working on a new entry in fantasy franchiseJak & Daxter.
The fevered fan requests were addressed by Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells in an Academy of Interactive Arts & Science’s Game Maker interview, conducted by Insomniac Games’ Ted Priceand transcribed by news outlet VGC.
“We’ve had a couple of Twitter campaigns where people have been tweeting us every single day… ‘I want a newJak & Daxter, I want a newJak & Daxter.’ And they aren’t just simple 280-character tweets, they have Photoshopped memes and everything they’re including on a daily basis, and the effort has got to be significant.”
“I hate to break it to them,” continues Wells. “We do not haveJak & Daxterhere in development right now. We still love the characters and I see what you guys [Insomniac] are doing [withRatchet & Clank] and that makes me wish that we did, and we would have one in development because there’s still a lot of love forJak & Daxterin the studio.”
It’s tough news to take for fans of the quirky platforming franchise, given that the last (non-compendium)Jak & Daxterrelease was way back in 2009, with PSP entryJak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier. Still, it will be interesting to see if any impact from Insomniac’s upcomingRatchet & Clank: Rift Apartcan help catch Sony’s eyes and ears. But given the publisher’s current focus on mainstream blockbusters over all else, any potentialJ&Dreturn will apparently remain a pipe dream for the time being.
