The Last of Us director apologizes to God of War Laufey devs after criticism

The Last of Us director Bruce Straley has apologized to the developers of God of War Laufey after mentioning the upcoming spinoff in a conversation about the games industry.

Straley singled out Laufey during an interview with Edge, praising the work that has gone into the game while admitting he wasn’t excited by what players actually do in it. After his comments began circulating online, the former Naughty Dog developer said naming the game had been a mistake.

Straley says games need to take more risks

Speaking to Edge about the current state of the industry, Straley used God of War Laufey as an example while discussing what he sees as a lack of new ideas in big-budget games.

“God of War Laufey, I look at that game, and every pixel is mindblowing,” Straley said. “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.”

Following the attention those comments received, Straley apologized directly to the Laufey team on X.

“I want to apologize to the Laufey team for dragging you all into this uninvited & unnecessary negative attention,” he 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 followed the apology with a thread explaining his wider concerns, saying he fears players are becoming tired of “playing the same verbs for the last 20 years.”

He pointed to Half-Life 2, Gears of War, BioShock, Uncharted 2, and The Last of Us as games that helped establish what he called the “modern AAA” mold, but argued each tried to create a new experience at the time.

Straley also criticized attempts to recreate the success of games such as Overwatch, Fortnite, and Roblox, arguing that those making decisions at the top have reduced developers’ ability to innovate.

Ultimately, however, he conceded that using Laufey to make his point had been a mistake.

“In trying to have a thoughtful conversation, I stuck my foot in my mouth & mentioned Laufey, and that was my mistake.”

God of War Laufey releases February 16, 2027, for PlayStation 5, and Kratos voice actor Christopher Judge thinks it’s going to blow fans away.