Last Of Us Part 2’s director wants to develop a Punisher game.
Neil Druckmann has opened up about which Marvel characters he hopes to create an individual title about, with Frank Castle from The Punisher at the top of his wishlist.
Released in 2020, The Last of Us Part II excelled its predecessor by including sophisticated stealth and combat mechanics combined with scavenging/crafting features for maximum immersion and storytelling. Whether they liked it or not, players found it one of the most talked-about video games ever. Naughty Dog could certainly apply its successful formula in creating an innovative The Punisher title;
In 2021, Greg Miller asked Druckmann which established IP he’d like to develop a game for. Druckmann responded, “(1) Punisher, (2) Half-Life, (3) Ghost Rider, 4) Hotline Miami, and 5) Cowboy Bebop come to mind.” This list included FPS shooters such as Half-Life, movies from Ghost Rider’s film adaptation, and anime including Hotline Miami. However, The Punisher was at the top of his mind and could indicate future collaboration for their studio.
As Frank Castle is Marvel’s ultimate one-person army, his journey would follow similarly to Ellie in The Last of Us Part II – as an antihero on a hunt for revenge while utilizing stealth and brutal combat techniques. Additionally, with Naughty Dog’s sister studio, Insomniac, currently developing Wolverine for Marvel, it wouldn’t be farfetched that we might see other adaptations come to fruitio; howeverr, that remains to be seen given Naughty Dog is currently working on an “unannounced game,” and anything may come about in future releases from Naughty Dog.
HBO has resumed production of season two of The Last of Us following the end of their recent writer’s strike, continuing Ellie and Joel’s journey as they meet Abby for another round.
