Ex-Naughty Dog Dev Apologizes To God Of War Studio For What He Said About Laufey

The Last of Us co-director Bruce Straley has apologized to Santa Monica Studio after his recent comments about God of War: Laufey were perceived as criticism of their game. In an Edge Magazine interview, Straley praised Laufey’s visuals, saying “every pixel is mindblowing,” but stated he was “not excited” about “what you’re doing in the game” itself, citing a lack of gameplay innovation.

Straley’s remarks were part of a broader critique of the AAA video game industry, which he characterized as risk-averse and stagnant. “It feels like there’s no opportunity to inject fresh, innovative ideas,” he said, noting that despite holding his own AAA game concept, he believes he’ll “probably never make” it given industry constraints.

On social media, Straley clarified that his criticism was directed at the industry’s systemic issues, not the Laufey team’s execution. “I want to apologize to the Laufey team for dragging you all into this uninvited & unnecessary negative attention,” he stated, emphasizing that the talented developers at Santa Monica Studio were not responsible for the structural problems he identified.

Sources

• Ex-Naughty Dog Dev Apologizes To God Of War Studio For What He Said About Laufey
• Last of Us Director Apologizes to God of War Laufey Team
• The Last of Us game director apologizes for God of War Laufey criticism, points finger at industry leaders for triple-A stagnation
• The Last of Us Game Director Apologises for Dragging God of War Laufey into ‘Boring’ AAA Game Discussion