Neil Druckmann reveals which established franchises he would like to make a game for

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Hypothetically speaking, of course

Hotline Miami
(Image credit: Dennaton Games)

Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has revealed a list of established franchises he would want to make a game for. 

Kinda Funny Games' Greg Miller posed the hypothetical question to Druckmann on Twitter, asking, "what established IP would you want to make a game for?". The Last of Us 2 director responded with his top five picks, which includes a selection of well-known franchises from the world of games, anime, and comic books. 

Listed from 1 to 5, Druckmann said he'd like to work on games based on Punisher, Half-Life, Ghost Rider, Hotline Miami, and Cowboy Bebop. The mention of Hotline Miami may come as no surprise to those who've played The Last of Us 2. As one of the many Last of Us 2 easter eggs, you may have come across Hotline Miami playing on a PlayStation Vita during your journey with Ellie. It also featured on the handheld console in some Last of Us 2 gameplay footage shown in a State of Play stream last May, just shy of the official release of Naughty Dog's sequel.

Druckmann has been working on The Last of Us 2 TV show, and has expressed in the past that it's been "an interesting challenge" adapting the game. We also now know that Naughty Dog is starting work on an unannounced project. In a recent tweet, Druckmann posted job listings, saying, "we're making something very cool." What this new project is remains to be seen. 

Of course, all of these picks from Druckmann are purely hypothetical and shouldn't be taken seriously, but it's still certainly quite fun to imagine what these games might look like. I, for one, would love to see what Druckmann could cook up for a game based on Cowboy Bebop - just imagine Spike's adventures brought to life on the PS5 and Xbox Series X... Yes, please. 

If you haven't jumped into Naughty Dog's sequel yet, we're here to help with these Last of Us 2 tips. 

Heather Wald
Heather Wald
Evergreen Editor, Games

Heather Wald is the Evergreen Editor, Games at GamesRadar+. Her writing career began on a student-led magazine at Bath Spa University, where she earned a BA (Hons) in English literature. Heather landed her first role writing about tech and games for Stuff Magazine shortly after graduating with an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University. Now with almost seven years of experience working with GamesRadar+ on the features team, Heather helps to develop, maintain, and expand the evergreen features that exist on the site for games, as well as spearhead the Indie Spotlight series. You'll also see her contribute op-eds, interview-led features, and more. In her spare time, you'll likely find Heather tucking into RPGs and indie games, reading romance novels, and drinking lots of tea.