The Last of Us Director Calls Modern AAA Games 'Boring,' Unimpressed by God of War Laufey Gameplay

Bruce Straley, the game director known for The Last of Us and several Uncharted titles, has expressed his boredom with modern AAA games. In an interview with Edge magazine, Straley discussed the current state of the industry, saying he finds big-budget blockbusters 'boring' due to a lack of risk-taking. He specifically cited God of War Laufey as an example of a game that clearly required immense effort and skill but may not bring significant innovation.

'God of War Laufey, I look at that game, and every pixel is mindblowing,' Straley said. 'The amount of work and skill that’s gone into every single frame… I’ve made those kinds of games, and I’m still blown away. But when I actually look at what you’re doing in the game? I’m not excited. And that’s nothing against the God of War team. Just, across the board in triple-A, it feels like there’s no opportunity to inject fresh, innovative ideas.'

Ironically, Straley might be the inspiration behind many modern AAA games. Uncharted and The Last of Us set the blueprint for the hyper-cinematic, third-person action games that are now ubiquitous, especially on PlayStation and in God of War. The 2018 God of War reboot was even jokingly called a Kratos-led version of The Last of Us by some gamers.

Straley departed Naughty Dog in 2017 after the release of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. He received special thanks in The Last of Us Part 2 credits, but his actual contribution to the final game remains unclear, as it spent nearly four years in development without him. Straley left the company after suffering from extensive burnout due to the grueling AAA development process.

Now, Straley is focusing on smaller games at his own studio, Wildflower Interactive. Their first project, Coven of the Chicken Foot, was announced at the 2025 Game Awards and appears to be a significant departure from his Naughty Dog work. No release date has been set yet.