Naughty Dog
CompanyUnited States
Documents about Naughty Dog
Wolverine Sales Analysis
Wolverine has achieved significant commercial success in its initial three-day launch window, generating $130 million in revenue from 1.9 million copies sold.
- Wolverine generated $130 million in revenue from 1.9 million units sold within its first three days of release.
- Physical sales accounted for 22.9% of the game's total launch revenue.
- Despite a 77 Metacritic score and significant social media backlash, the game outperformed several recent titles, including Resident Evil Requiem (24.7% higher revenue) and Crimson Desert (54.8% higher revenue) in their respective three-day launch windows.
A Deeper Look at PlayStation 5 Pro's Updated PSSR
This analysis examines the technical evolution of Sony’s PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology, as detailed in a recent presentation at the 2026 SIGGRAPH conference.
- Sony has updated PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) to move reconstruction mathematics out of the neural network and back onto the GPU, allowing the AI to focus exclusively on calculating blend weight 'kernels' for denoising.
- The original PSSR struggled with temporal noise in particles and translucent materials, particularly at high upscaling ratios like 720p to 2160p, due to an inefficient 8-bit neural network architecture.
- By offloading reconstruction to the GPU and shifting the AI model to a Kernel Prediction Network (KPN) approach, Sony has reduced the system's workload, improved performance at lower base resolutions, and lowered training costs.
Seven Things You Probably Didn't Know About Naughty Dog Co-founder Jason Rubin
Jason Rubin’s career trajectory serves as a foundational case study in the evolution of the North American video game industry from the 1980s through the modern era of virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
- Jason Rubin co-founded Naughty Dog and, with Andy Gavin, developed early games like "Ski Crazed" and "Dream Zone" before creating "Crash Bandicoot," which became a major PlayStation IP in 1996, competing with Mario and Sonic.
- Sony acquired Naughty Dog in 2001, and the studio released the critically and commercially successful "Jak and Daxter" series on PS2, with Naughty Dog sharing their efficient environment instancing system with Insomniac Games for "Ratchet and Clank."
- Rubin and Gavin left Naughty Dog in 2004, and Rubin later worked at Meta (formerly Oculus) in various senior roles, leaving in 2026 as the company shifted away from VR, a move that didn't align with his personal passions.
Pointless
The closure of Bluepoint Games by Sony in February 2026 marks the end of a studio widely regarded as the industry leader in remakes and remasters.
- Sony announced the closure of Bluepoint Games, effective March 2026, ending the studio's tenure as a PlayStation subsidiary after its 2021 acquisition.
- Bluepoint Games, which employed approximately 70 staff, released no original titles during its four-and-a-half years under Sony ownership, following the cancellation of a live-service project set in the God of War universe in early 2025.
- The studio's final credits include its 2020 PS5 launch remake of Demon's Souls and a support role on Sony Santa Monica’s God of War: Ragnarok.
12 Photos Taken by Video Game Developers
This analysis explores the creative perspectives of prominent video game developers through an unconventional journalistic exercise conducted at the 2026 DICE Awards in Las Vegas.
- At the 2026 DICE Awards in Las Vegas, developers from studios including Supergiant Games, Sandfall Interactive, and Naughty Dog participated in a project to capture photographs within a mundane green room environment.
- The exercise challenged industry leaders—including directors, writers, and animators—to demonstrate how they interpret space, scale, and narrative outside of their typical professional development roles.
- Participant photographs ranged from abstract architectural details and still-life studies of snack tables to candid portraits of the reporter-filled environment.
Naughty Dog Forced Employees to Crunch to Meet the Deadline for the New Game Demo
Naughty Dog recently implemented mandatory overtime for staff to meet internal development milestones for the upcoming title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
- The 'Stop Killing Games' initiative has joined a Dutch class-action lawsuit against Sony, alleging that the PlayStation Store artificially inflates digital game prices by an average of 47% compared to physical editions.
- Plaintiffs in the Dutch lawsuit claim that consumers in the Netherlands have overpaid approximately 435 million euros for digital games since 2013.
- Activists argue that Sony’s planned cessation of physical disc production by 2028 will cement a digital monopoly, prompting demands for compensation and the introduction of alternative storefronts.
Over 2,000 Games Industry Professionals Lost Their Jobs in February, 5x Year-Over-Year
The global video game industry experienced a significant surge in workforce reductions during February 2024, with at least 2,027 professionals losing their jobs.
- The video game industry recorded at least 2,027 layoffs in February 2024, a fivefold increase compared to the 386 jobs lost in February 2023.
- Total industry layoffs for the first two months of 2024 have already exceeded 8,000, putting the sector on track to surpass the 10,500 total layoffs documented in all of 2023.
- Sony Interactive Entertainment accounted for the largest share of February's reductions with 900 job cuts, including the closure of London Studio and staff reductions at Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and Guerrilla Games.
PlayStation Head of Internal Production Connie Booth Leaves Sony After 34 Years
Sony Interactive Entertainment has officially confirmed the departure of Connie Booth, the long-standing head of internal production at PlayStation.
- Connie Booth, the head of internal production at PlayStation, has departed Sony Interactive Entertainment after a 34-year tenure.
- Booth was a foundational figure in the development of major franchises including Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Uncharted, The Last of Us, and Marvel’s Spider-Man.
- Throughout her career starting in 1989, Booth contributed to over 120 titles and was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 2020.
Why Sony's Betting on Spectacular GaaS Revenues for PlayStation
Drawing from internal documents surfaced during the FTC v. Microsoft legal proceedings, this analysis examines Sony Interactive Entertainment’s strategic pivot toward Games as a Service (GaaS).
- Sony aims to double its first-party game revenue by 2026 by aggressively shifting its AAA intellectual property toward live service models.
- The pivot is driven by a desire to reach the 30% profit margins seen in GaaS-heavy competitors like Activision, which significantly outperform Sony's current low-teens margins for traditional hardware and software.
- As of late 2023, Sony-owned titles represent only 7.3% of the top 50 games by Daily Active Users, highlighting a substantial gap in their current market engagement.
Sony's Obsession with AAA Blockbusters Damages Small Studios and Leads to High Turnover
Sony’s strategic pivot toward high-budget AAA blockbusters has created significant internal friction and operational challenges within its PlayStation division.
- Sony has shifted its internal strategy to prioritize high-budget AAA blockbusters, effectively abandoning support for smaller games and niche markets like Japan.
- The reorganization of Japan Studio, known for titles like Gravity Rush and Knack, resulted in mass staff departures as Sony moved away from smaller-scale development.
- Sony rejected a pitch for Days Gone 2 from developer Bend Studio in 2019, despite the first game's commercial success, citing lengthy development times and mixed reviews.
The Last of Us Part II Pre-Sales Surpasses God of War in Brazil
The Last of Us Part II achieved a significant commercial milestone in June 2020 by surpassing the pre-sale record previously held by God of War for a PlayStation exclusive in Brazil.
- The Last of Us Part II has surpassed God of War to become the PlayStation exclusive with the highest number of pre-sales in Brazilian history.
- Sony confirmed that the title achieved this record-breaking pre-sale performance in the Brazilian market ahead of its scheduled release on June 19, 2020.
- The previous record for the highest number of pre-sales for a PlayStation exclusive in Brazil was held by the 2018 release of God of War.
