Sigh. Well, that’s the nature of online gaming discourse sometimes, right? Rather than sane, rational conversations, we gotta bicker, squabble, and react before reason arrives. In what I hope is a fleeting moment of internet indignity, a war of words has kicked off between fans of Naughty Dog and Remedy Entertainment. The Last of Us vs. Alan Wake. Control vs. Uncharted. Max Payne vs. Crash Bandicoot. All because of a harmless comment made by Alan Wake 2‘s Director, Kyle Rowley, on the Behind The Voice podcast.
“I think we should aim to be the European version of Naughty Dog.” That video opens with the comment, in case you don’t want to watch the entire interview (though I highly recommend you stick around for the whole thing). All Rowley does is say how much inspiration Remedy receives from Naughty Dog. That’s it! Not “We make better games than them,” and not “We have a stronger creative core than them” — none of that! Merely a nod to one of the greatest development teams in the business.
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Overall, I will say most of the comments — on YouTube and elsewhere — are sane! No Naughty Dog or Remedy slander! Just supportive vibes over two teams that make 20/10 games time and again! But, there’s just enough “OH, REMEDY THINKS THEY’RE ANYWHERE NEAR NAUGHTY DOG’S LEVEL?” garbage that encouraged me to write this article. There doesn’t need to be an online war over this, guys.
remedy doesn’t have to be the next naughty dog — it’s already the first remedy
It’s not a particular secret that I adore both studios. However, since Naughty Dog gets its deserved flowers, I hype up Remedy whenever I can! Alan Wake 2 is one of the most beautiful, reflective, and respectful commentaries on the importance and necessity of pure art I’ve ever experienced. Great for weirdos like me who look too deeply into everything. Oh, it’s also a phenomenal horror game. Control came out of nowhere and dominated Game of the Year conversations in 2019. And who doesn’t love the Max Payne games?
Even if Remedy initially aspired to be like the Big Dog, the team has done something more transformative. As Naughty Dog is the only Naughty Dog in the industry, Remedy is the only Remedy. There’s nothing quite like what Remedy puts out when they release a game. Likewise, there’s nothing quite like The Last of Us or its sequel! Hell, that’s exactly why Naughty Dog can slap their logo at the end of a trailer and have us all cheer. We know we’re getting quality with Naughty Dog — just like we know we’re getting quality with Remedy.
There’s no need for a war! They can live in harmony. We can champion both without one needing to be spoken of as the “lesser” of the two!
