The Last of Us game director apologizes for God of War Laufey criticism, points finger at industry leaders for triple-A stagnation

The Last of Us game director Bruce Straley has apologized for singling out God of War Laufey in a comment about lack of innovation in triple-A games.

“God Of War Laufey, I look at that game, and every pixel is mindblowing,” Straley said in a recent Edge magazine feature. “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.”

In his apology, posted on X, Laufey said that his comment is being used for “clickbait.”

“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.”

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 triple-A stagnation he perceives.

“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.

“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.”

Straley left the triple-A scene in 2017, and founded a new studio, Wildflower Interactive, in 2021. The indie studio is working on singleplayer adventure Coven of the Chicken Foot.