{"id":1696114,"date":"2026-09-19T00:42:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T00:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hDHQu584fcA5Cz925vf2Nb"},"modified":"2026-09-19T00:42:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T00:42:12","slug":"the-last-of-us-game-director-apologizes-for-god-of-war-laufey-criticism-points-finger-at-industry-leaders-for-triple-a-stagnation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-last-of-us-game-director-apologizes-for-god-of-war-laufey-criticism-points-finger-at-industry-leaders-for-triple-a-stagnation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last of Us game director apologizes for God of War Laufey criticism, points finger at industry leaders for triple-A stagnation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Last of Us game director Bruce Straley has apologized for singling out God of War Laufey<\/a> in a comment about lack of innovation in triple-A games.<\/p>\n

“God Of War Laufey, I look at that game, and every pixel is mindblowing,” Straley said in a recent Edge magazine feature<\/a>. “The amount of work and skill that’s gone into every single frame\u2026 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.”<\/p>\n

In his apology, posted on X<\/a>, Laufey said that his comment is being used for “clickbait.”<\/p>\n

“I want to apologize to the Laufey team for dragging you all into this uninvited & unnecessary negative attention,” the director wrote. “I was trying to illustrate an industry concern & my mistake of naming your game is being used out of context & for clickbait. You don’t need this. I’m sorry.”<\/p>\n

Straley didn’t take back the central thrust of his remark, however, expanding on his position in a series of posts which place blame on industry leaders for the lack of “clear direction and conviction” he perceives in today’s big budget development scene.<\/p>\n

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I want to apologize to the Laufey team for dragging you all into this uninvited & unnecessary negative attention. I was trying to illustrate an industry concern & my mistake of naming your game is being used out of context & for clickbait. You don\u2019t need this. I\u2019m sorry. \ud83e\uddf5 pic.twitter.com\/Ri2KgfJ4yYSeptember 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

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“The quest for GaaS & wanting to recreate the next Overwatch, Fortnite, Roblox, etc is not a viable strategy & frankly shows these ‘industry leaders’ don’t know their own brand,” said Straley. <\/p>\n

“Hot take: There’s a lack of good leadership, clear direction & conviction from the ppl at the top, in charge of the money. (Money = stability) I believe if they understand their brand, they could have honest, inspiring conversations w creators to steer our medium to innovate.”<\/p>\n

Straley left triple-A development in 2017, and founded a new studio, Wildflower Interactive, in 2021. The indie studio is working on singleplayer adventure Coven of the Chicken Foot<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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