Is the notion that Naughty Dog wanting to continue working on Uncharted and TLOU weird?
We've heard time and time again that new IPs are hard.
You also should have read that toward the end of my post.
I don't think it's weird, but was just addressing the members that didn't agree that great sales mean a sequel should be expected. Yes, the folks at ND are undoubtedly artists that want to make great games, but they also have a job to do. We both recognize that new IP are difficult to build, so the success of TLoU probably makes their decision quite a bit easier. I mean, do you take on the stress of building a new IP once again, or do you take on a sequel which - while presenting its own difficulties - allows you a chance to be creative while providing the cushion of already having a popular universe and characters? It seems ND have chosen the latter of the two, and I don't blame them. I'm very excited to see a sequel to TLoU and have no problem waiting for a new IP. If the folks at ND need a little more time to generate the ideas that a new property requires and don't want to take on the stress that they *just* dealt with, then so be it.
To me what that says is that ND wanted to make those Uncharted games. The fact that they're even still making Uncharted after TLOU was more successful in every metric a business man can come up with says everything.
Whether their next project is one of several ideas they have cooking up in the universe of TLOU, an Uncharted 5 or a completely new IP is totally up in the air, and I don't think commercial viability will be part of that decision. This is one of the top studios in this industry, they get to work on whatever they want.
First, the fact that U4 is coming out before TLoU2 only means that U4 was being worked on while TLoU was still in development. I might be forgetting something here, but the U3 team led by Amy Hennig was busy with U4, but then Amy left and now Druckmann and Straley are at the helm. So, your point is most likely inaccurate and therefore moot. Second, they are one of the top studios because their games are successful. If that stops being the case, they will lose their creative freedom. Making sequels to established franchises makes sense from a business and creative standpoint, as it keeps them in good standing and does allow them to take risks. TLoU was a risk that turned out to be a great game, and ND would be foolish not to capitalize on that. Also, if you don't think that commercial viability is a concern, than I think you're being very naive. The devs don't own the studio and they have talked about how the decisions they make while developing sequels centers around making gameplay changes that evolve the core mechanics, while not alienating the fans. Now, why would you do that, unless you're worried about commercial viability?