He promised himself to work only with the best, but Naughty Dog ceased to be like that. Apparently, that’s why he left, although before that the reasons for what had happened were rather vague, while he almost never had to work beyond the norm, unlike his friends.
For example, one of the animators before the autumn demo of the game was so zealous that he ended up in the hospital. However, closer to the point.
Before the release, many large studios use the services of contractors, because they lack their hands, but ND has such a poor reputation that it is almost impossible for her to find temporary game animators.
As a result, the company had to take cinematic animators who had a poor understanding of working with an interactive environment, because of which production could slip on the spot. This applies to many departments of Naughty Dog – not just animators.
For example, the design department is crowded with new recruits, who had to be hired after the departure of key employees. All the final work on the project took much longer due to the lack of game experience for beginners in the team.
Cooper emphasizes that the guys are certainly talented, but more time was spent on their training than on the development itself, which is why the deadlines were constantly shifting. If the studio had a more experienced team, The Last of Us: Part II would be released a year earlier.
As a result, Naughty Dog linear games have a formula, and the authors conduct exhausting focus tests for them. Despite the talent, the success of the games is largely due to Sony’s deep pockets, which allow them to delay the release.
Jonathan Cooper
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In December, Cooper told about the conflict with Sony, when under a common corporate initiative the publisher tried to get access to all the works of the animator. Then he said that at Naughty Dog he was fully supported.-
However before leaving in October they wanted to force him to sign an agreement on non-disclosure of working conditions in the studio, intimidating them with the fact that they would not be given the last payment. Then Jonathan said that it was illegal, after which he still received his money.-
Cooper is arguably the best-known gaming animator with a hand in the first Mass effect, Assassin’s Creed III, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and, of course, The Last of Us: Part II.
He still calls the animation in “The Last of Us” the best in the industry – well, or at least one of the best. The game itself will also be delightful, as many have talked about in Schreier’s investigation.
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But I just don’t recommend anyone working at Naughty Dog until the studio prioritizes talent retention.
Jonathan Cooper
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The Last of Us: Part II is released May 29 only on the PS4.
