Key Points:
- Helldivers 2 arrives on Xbox on August 26th.
- Same release day as Gears on PS5.
- Community discussion: Are you okay with it?
So, a big graphics upgrade is on the way, Insomniac Games’ development update confirmed, and Naughty Dog’s studio update. Those are the stories we’re going to cover today. First, yes or no, are you okay with Helldivers 2 going to Xbox or not? The game has been confirmed to be coming to Xbox this August 26th, which is the same day that Gears is coming to PlayStation 5, and I’m curious how people here feel about that.
Table of Contents
Naughty Dog’s Studio Update – Big Shifts and New Projects
Key Points:
- Neil Druckmann steps back from HBO’s The Last of Us Season 3.
- Focuses on new game “Intergalactic.”
- Possible early development of The Last of Us Part 3.
- Unannounced Naughty Dog titles in progress.
Now diving into the first story of the video, Naughty Dog’s studio update. Reading from Gaming Bolt, with the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us over, Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann has announced he will be stepping back from the show before any meaningful work begins on season 3. Druckmann will focus on the studio’s next big title, the sci-fi action-adventure Intergalactic, which he’s directing and writing. Of course, he also has responsibilities as studio head and head of creative besides serving as producer of an unannounced project. Interestingly, Halle Gross, who co-wrote the show with Druckmann and Craig Mazin, has also announced she’s stepping back from day-to-day work on the same to focus on what comes next.
Gross plays AJ in Intergalactic, an agent who provides work to bounty hunter and protagonist Jordan A. Munn. However, the part about working on some truly rad projects ahead seemingly hints at other titles in the works. Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime. So we can talk about the story of The Last of Us Part 2 and how I feel about that, but I think people here know, so let’s focus on the games aspect.
Going back to the studio to focus on their projects could hint to more serious work outside of Intergalactic. That game has been in the works since 2020, so it’s at the later stages of development and could potentially release in 2026 or probably 2027. Naughty Dog has another title that has been in the works for over 3 years at this point. Those two things are confirmed, but there’s a likely possibility that there’s another project in early phases and that could potentially be The Last of Us Part 3. Unless their second project is Last of Us related, they have more reason to make a Part 3.
We’ve heard rumors about it of course, but there’s also Factions 2 which also featured its own story if people remember that’s been in the works for years. So there’s a whole developed story over there. That could be work they could use for Part 3 as well, which I expect also would have evolved gameplay from Last of Us Part 2. So I see it as Intergalactic is the next project that’s set to come out. The second project, which many believe to be Uncharted, could be the project that releases and a third project, which is probably early work on Last of Us Part 3 could come next.
Insomniac Games: Three Titles in Development Confirmed
Key Points:
- Wolverine is one of the confirmed projects.
- Two unannounced titles are in development.
- One may be a multiplayer game or Venom.
- Possible Spider-Man 3 co-op mode teased.
Now diving into the second story of the video, Insomnia Games Development Update Confirmed. So on Reddit, I’m seeing people reference a Twitter account that stated this in translation. According to the LinkedIn of an Insomnia Games developer, the studio is working on three games at the same time. One is Wolverine, and the other two are games that haven’t been announced. So I haven’t really seen anyone push for a source on this, but this isn’t the first time we’ve heard that the studio is working on three games at the same time.
Back in 2023, we heard from Project Director Erin Eberhardt who was in an interview in 2022 that stated that she was working on an unannounced title. So at the time they were making Wolverine, Spider-Man 2 was also being made, meaning if there’s an unannounced title, this is the third title that’s being worked on at the studio. I assume the Spider-Man 2 team has moved over to Spider-Man 3, Wolverine is still being worked on, and this third game could still be ongoing.
Now what could this game be? Venom is a possibility with that game being leaked for either 2025 or 2027, unless Sony surprises everyone and drops the game this year, that could happen in 2027. The other possibility is that this third game is a multiplayer title. Insomniac has already mentioned they’re working on a multiplayer game, but we also heard their Spider-Verse game was cancelled, so this could be that multiplayer game that they mentioned.
But more recently, people have found a job listing for a designer role that mentions multiplayer and single player experience, which has some wondering if this could be a co-op mode for Spider-Man 3. That was something that a lot of people wished for for Spider-Man 2, considering we had Miles and Peter, maybe you could’ve had a co-op mode there. So the third project could be Venom, or it could be a multiplayer project, unless this multiplayer mention is actually for a co-op mode in Spider-Man 3. Ratchet & Clank is also a possibility instead of Venom. Insomniac most likely has 3 games in the works.
They did this already with Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart, and Miles Morales. All of those games released 1-2 years after each other: 2020, 2021, and 2023. So it’s not that shocking that they have another set of 3 games in the works. Let’s see how this goes, but you guys let me know if you’re excited for the future of Marvel from Insomniac or not, let me know down in the comments below.
Big Graphics Upgrade Confirmed for PS5 Pro
Key Points:
- AMD FSR 4 tech confirmed for PS5 Pro.
- Joint development with Sony under Project Amethyst.
- Enhances both performance and quality mode.
And now diving into the final story of the video, Big Graphics Upgrade Confirmed. Reading from WCCFTech, it has been confirmed that AMD FSR 4, in its complete implementation, will be available to PS5 Pro developers starting next year. This isn’t surprising, considering that Sony helped AMD develop the algorithm as part of Project Amethyst. AMD FSR 4 will be available as an upgrade to the existing PS Spectral Super Resolution, which debuted with the PS5 Pro launch in late 2024.
In an interview with Tom’s Guide, Sony Lead System Architect Mark Cerny explained the algorithm they came up with could be implemented on current generation hardware. So the co-developed algorithm has already been released by AMD as part of FSR 4 on PC and we’re in the process of implementing it on PS5 and it will release next year on PS5 Pro. It’s not a cut-down version of the algorithm, it’s the full-fat version of the co-developed Super Resolution that we’ll be releasing on PS5 Pro.
So from my understanding, this isn’t actually FSR 4 itself. This is the next iteration of PSSR using this new technology. PSSR is what Sony is going to continue to improve on and develop in cooperation with AMD. FSR 4 is also amazing based off Digital Foundry’s analysis of it compared to DLSS, where FSR 4 excelled in multiple areas over DLSS.
What this means is better visuals with great performance come next year. That gap between performance and quality mode on PS5 Pro is already small. This will make it even smaller, I would assume. People can’t tell already, but maybe this is even further that people can’t tell. But this will probably also make quality mode better as well. Either way, next year, PS5 Pro players will be getting better visuals overall on their games, whether that’s quality mode or performance mode, which of course is great news.
After Show – Bring On the Games!
Key Points:
- Community engagement call.
- Celebrate upcoming Sony studio titles.
- Drop comments to show support!
But you guys let me know if you’re excited for this upgrade or not, let me know down in the comments below. And if you guys did enjoy this video, please hit that like button, as it always helps, I’ve got new videos every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and now I’ll check you guys out on the next one.
And welcome back to the After Show, this is the part of the video where we have a little fun down in the comments below. If you’re old, welcome back. If you’re new, welcome. For today’s thing, what I want you guys to do is the body, obliterate, destroy, and overall harass the comment section with, bring on the games.
Obviously, this is in reference to what we just talked about with Insomniac with their multiple games, Naughty Dog with their multiple games. If you’re excited for all of this work that’s coming from Sony Studios, destroy the comment section with, bring on the games. And I’ll definitely heart those comments like I always do, because I appreciate everybody who stays to the end of my videos. And now, I’ll check you guys out on the next one.