Naughty Dog dev joins ZeniMax Online Studios to work on "unannounced AAA IP"

A former Naughty Dog designer is going to work on a secret new AAA project at the Elder Scrolls Online studio.

[DJStotty]

Good stuff, more games a cometh!!

[GottaBjimmyb]

Elder scrolls online is great, but not my cup of tea, but Fallout 76 was terrible (probably still is) so I am going to hold my excitement for now for anything Zenimax/Bethesda related in the online realm. I am looking forward to most of the other Zenimax/Bethesda games more than this TBH.

[Father__Merrin]

Fo76 is quite enjoyable actually with all the single player quest content

[Shiken]

Fallout 76 and Wolfenstein Youngblood were games that the former owners insisted be made, not really something the devs wanted to make. I would not base any judgements on future titles based off of that, since they are now a MS studio.

That being said, bringing up that we have yet to see how they will be under MS management is a fair concern. I feel optimisticly hopeful however that good things are in the future, as MS seems to be giving devs more freedom than they used to.

[DJStotty]

I think it is time for a new Quake from ID software.

@Father

I am still yet to play Fallout 76, i have it installed, but i just have too many games to play lol.

[Jin_Sakai]

Why do we need an article every time a Naughty Dog employee leaves or joins another studio? This stuff happens everyday in the gaming industry.

[potatoseal]

Naughty Dogh have about 500 employees lol. It's news everytime a single person decides to leave.

[DJStotty]

Exactly, an employee of a studio going to another studio should not be news, and neither is it really gaming news.

How many employees have joined NG and the likes of other studios over the years? How come we do not hear about those?

N4G would be full of article after article of dev's moving around lol

[Tech5]

"Naughty Dog and Rockstar Animator Joins Sony’s New Studio for An Unannounced Project"
https://n4g.com/news/223536...

reception - awesome news!!!

"Naughty Dog dev joins ZeniMax"
https://n4g.com/news/239212...

reception - "Why do we need an article every time a Naughty Dog employee leaves or joins another studio? This stuff happens everyday in the gaming industry. "

[RazzerRedux]

The difference in volume is clear

https://n4g.com/news/223510...
https://n4g.com/news/237906...
https://n4g.com/news/221102...
https://n4g.com/news/226304...
https://n4g.com/news/231661...
https://n4g.com/news/223971...
https://n4g.com/news/227630...

And those don't even have news about "new unannounced AAA ip" or "unannounced project"

[NeoGamer232]

@RazzerRedux
I totally agree the volume is different. But to me, that is based on two things:

1) Gaming media who thinks that taking any random (or non-random) person from one company to another somehow has a console war implication
2) Gaming media trying to highlight and magnify problems a studio may be having in the development of a game.

To me, there is no factual evidence that either has any truth to it. AAA games are developed by literally 100's of developers. Taking one or even several developers away is not going to change the console war or the outcome of any specific AAA game.

The reason we are seeing more of Sony studio people moving is that MS is ramping up a new AAA studio. They have to get the talent from somewhere. They aren't going to just hire a ton of developers straight out of school and say, "Here's a few hundred million, build us Perfect Dark in 3-6 years". They are going to look for experience and try and hire that experience. It is that simple. And it should not be news. There are only a hand full of people in every studio that are worth talking about when they move on. Those are the highest leaders, not some random developer, graphics designers, etc.

The world needs people to quit analyzing and hanging on every word and new story that comes out in real time. If you are a Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, PC, Mobile, or whatever gamer, you don't need to constantly run other gamers over if you feel your platform is somehow superior to another. And vice versa, all these gamers should not be spiking the ball every time they think their platform is winning something somehow. We are all gamers. Gamers are the community not a specific platform's community.

[RazzerRedux]

@NeoGamer232

I don't disagree with anything you've said. I would say the gaming media is trying to trying to use the console wars to generate traffic on their sites and this is just as good a method as any, I suppose.

"The reason we are seeing more of Sony studio people moving is that MS is ramping up a new AAA studio."

Sure, but it isn't newsworthy. If it were then the 100s of new designers and developers that have joined The Initiative over the last few years would each have their own article. But....not all of them came from Sony and those that did make for prime console war print. The gaming media doesn't care.

If Corey Barlog leaves Sony, that's news. If Todd Howard leaves Bethesda, that's news. But if Colin Malzahn leaves Naughty Dog, why is that news? You've never heard of him before. But if he makes a career change, it doesn't mean a thing. Especially since I just made him up.

"AAA games are developed by literally 100's of developers. Taking one or even several developers away is not going to change the console war or the outcome of any specific AAA game."

Couldn't agree more. The only thing of note in this article is the unannounced AAA IP. That is news. The ND dev? Nope. All those articles I linked? Nope.

[DJStotty]

I took more notice of the "unannounced AAA IP" as opposed to the ND dev.

Developers switch studios/projects all the time, so that should not really be newsworthy.

[Relientk77]

I've never seen a "Former Xbox developer joins to this studio" article

[Silly gameAr]

Because there isn't any lol. Only when someone from a Sony dev gets a job. It's really dumb.

[Atticus_finch]

It's compliment to Naughty Dog really.

[Sayai jin]

What does this have to do with Xbox?

Atticus, it is a compliment, but it seems to tweak people for some reason.

[Sunny_D]

Well there aren’t any industry leading devs making GOTY games consistently at Xbox. They have to get from the best. 🤷‍♂️

[RgR]

Up until recently there were very few microsoft studios at all...therefore likes former xbox developers.

I assume it is "newsworthy" because people care about naughty dog...in contrast nobody cares about any previous microsoft studio...except for the ones they bought recently of course.

[Imalwaysright]

I can only remember one: Corrine Yu.

[NeoGamer232]

Agreed. Really, anytime there is an employee that leaves from any studio. We get it... Just like every other company in the world developers have turnover. This is not news.

[Sitdown]

Probably the same reason why we need for the same people to come in such articles to make the same comments.

I would love for you all to come in sales articles and ask why do we keep posting sales articles, because sales happen everyday in the gaming industry.

Like it or not, people enjoy seeing where talent goes.

[Silly gameAr]

Then anytime talent goes somewhere, shouldn't we have an article about it also? It's only when someone from Naughty Dog finds a job that's connected to MS, do we get an article about it.

Come on man, we have to at least admit that.

[RazzerRedux]

"I would love for you all to come in sales articles and ask why do we keep posting sales articles, because sales happen everyday in the gaming industry."

People ask that question all the time.

"Like it or not, people enjoy seeing where talent goes."

No they don't. They like seeing Sony talent going to a Microsoft studio. If there was an article every single time "talent" left a studio for another studio then this site would be overrun with such articles. But we don't see that. We see articles just like this.

If this dev had said he was leaving Sony for Zenimax prior to Microsoft's announcement of purchasing Zenimax, there would be no article here at all.

[Sitdown]

@Silly gameAr
If the information readily available on other developers? Some of you all are just being extra, in sports, do you hear more about what the Lakers are doing or Minnesota. Normal for high profile companies and departures to garner more attention.

@RazzerRedux
Please see above, and stop with the speculation. Did we not just get an article about the recent Halo departure?

[RazzerRedux]

I'll speculate all I want, thanks. But if you think this is comparable news to the project director of any AAA studio leaving such as a Chris Lee or Darrell Gallagher then you are simply kidding yourself.

[Sitdown]

Oh wow, you showed me by telling me you can speculate all you want. Man, if you only knew how to read into that sentence.

And there goes the goal post moving, didn't take long at all.

[RazzerRedux]

"And there goes the goal post moving, didn't take long at all."

That "recent Halo departure"? Yeah, that was Chris Lee. The director of Halo Infinite.

https://n4g.com/news/238208...

How am I "moving goalposts" when I'm referring to the exact event YOU brought up?

[Sitdown]

@RazzerRedux
Let me help you, goal post moving is when you change the standard of measurement.

I said people like to know where developers go, and you said that wasn't true, they just want to know when Sony developers leave and go to Microsoft studios. Then when I mention the recent Halo news proving you wrong, you say..but but but that's different because he was higher ranking. Was he an employee? Yes. Did he leave a company other than Sony? Yes. Was it posted here? Yes. So did it meet the criteria of what I said? Yes. Now you tried to come over top and say it's not valid because of his ranking.

That is a classic example of goal post moving.

[RazzerRedux]

"Let me help you, goal post moving is when you change the standard of measurement."

Let me help you. Pointing out a false equivalency is not moving goal posts. It is pointing out your error. The guy in this article is one of hundreds of developers working for Naughty Dog and you are trying to pretend his or her next job is newsworthy because there was coverage on Chris Lee's leaving Halo Infinite. Because....both "employees"? False equivalency and you know it. Whining about goal posts is all you have because you know your argument is just bullshit. That's fine. I'm just going to laugh this conversation off and let you be wrong.

[Sitdown]

@RazzerRedux
Let me help you out. I didn't make any distinction in level or position of the employee when I made my statement, so equivalency doesn't matter in my point. You tried to jump in my conversation and over projected what I was saying, and now you are whining because you can't bully my general point that there have been articles being Naughty Dog. Have fun laughing off the conversation, because for some reason you needed to tell me you like to giggle.

[Sayai jin]

I see other articles about people leaving other studios, retiring, joining studios, lay-offs, etc. This ranges from devs, social media influencers, etc. It is by definition gaming news. Full stop.

[SmokinAces]

Because there's a misguided belief that if someone leaves Naughty Dog it will destroy the company and they wont be able to make amazing games anymore and some people relish in that notion. Well people left before and during TLOU 2 development which went on to win GOTY so their hopes and dreams are dashed. I agree its not news worthy.

[Godmars290]

Because MS's reputation as a game maker is o bad that when a former Sony dev signs on with them, it must be pointed out.

[OptimusDK]

Yeah- Naughty crunch ... there are now more opertunities if you want to work at a top tier developer. Good for them

[majiebeast]

Then why did they join Bugthesda or Microsoft?

[Vits]

I found the fact that Zenimaz Online is working on a unannounced AAA IP much more interesting. This is not your "common" developer as they actually just had worked on the Elder Scrolls Online and offered support for Fallout 76. So it will be interesting to see what this project is really about.

[Silly gameAr]

Naughty Dog is so popular, there's news when an ex-employee gets a job somewhere else. I mean, it must be because of Naughty Dog, because no other devs get articles when they find jobs, right?

[Spenok]

EX-Naughty Dog dev.

Please, refrain from clickba.... oh, who am I kidding. This is 2020 we're talking about. It's practically the only way to get hits anymore. Hell, even the mainstream media has resorted to using them.

Ugh.

[Kurupt]

Because its naughty dog and Microsoft have barely any talent at all

[DJStotty]

Yeah, i think they have a lot of talent, whether that talent is utilised, now that is a different story.

In my eyes, all developers for all studios are talented, otherwise they would not be doing what they do.

[throne]

funny thing is there are articles of sony studios on hiring sprees but funny enough are never posted here. has it gotten that bad that people are using devs in console wars now?

[Lore]

At least he gets to go work on a game with depth that more than likely will be an RPG of some sort

[RazzerRedux]

"Make a game that requires me to do more than pick up ammo, put that ammo into a weapon and then using that weapon to wipe out waves of enemies - And then for my trouble upgrading a skill tree."

Really? That's all there is to do in Naughty Dog games? lol....ok

[throne]

exactly,if picking up ammo was killing unrealistic waves of enemies is all there is to a ND game, why all the awards?

[majiebeast]

Yeah now he can go make gamepass filler and games that score 60s and are forgotten within a week

[ScootaKuH]

Oh. Well that's...something...

[Tedakin]

Naughty Dog is joining with a Microsoft owned company to make a game? Wha?

[SonyStyled]

They aren’t owned by Microsoft. Not until next summer anyway

[BurritoWarrior]

Xbox Dust Collector X

[LoveSpuds]

This kind of story just demonstrates how fantastic Naughty Dog's reputation for quality and talent is. Every time there is a staff change at ND, something that goes completely unreported at other companies, it gets covered in games media.

[Nuvem]

Was it Neil?? No? Damn it...

[SonyStyled]

Bro you should let it go, hope for a different directive art style, or stop buying ND games

[SyntheticForm]

"AAA"