Neil Druckmann reveals which established franchises he would like to make a game for

Hotline Miami
(Image credit: Dennaton Games)

Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has revealed a list of established franchises he would want to make a game for. 

Kinda Funny Games' Greg Miller posed the hypothetical question to Druckmann on Twitter, asking, "what established IP would you want to make a game for?". The Last of Us 2 director responded with his top five picks, which includes a selection of well-known franchises from the world of games, anime, and comic books. 

Listed from 1 to 5, Druckmann said he'd like to work on games based on Punisher, Half-Life, Ghost Rider, Hotline Miami, and Cowboy Bebop. The mention of Hotline Miami may come as no surprise to those who've played The Last of Us 2. As one of the many Last of Us 2 easter eggs, you may have come across Hotline Miami playing on a PlayStation Vita during your journey with Ellie. It also featured on the handheld console in some Last of Us 2 gameplay footage shown in a State of Play stream last May, just shy of the official release of Naughty Dog's sequel.

Druckmann has been working on The Last of Us 2 TV show, and has expressed in the past that it's been "an interesting challenge" adapting the game. We also now know that Naughty Dog is starting work on an unannounced project. In a recent tweet, Druckmann posted job listings, saying, "we're making something very cool." What this new project is remains to be seen. 

Of course, all of these picks from Druckmann are purely hypothetical and shouldn't be taken seriously, but it's still certainly quite fun to imagine what these games might look like. I, for one, would love to see what Druckmann could cook up for a game based on Cowboy Bebop - just imagine Spike's adventures brought to life on the PS5 and Xbox Series X... Yes, please. 

If you haven't jumped into Naughty Dog's sequel yet, we're here to help with these Last of Us 2 tips

Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good. 

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