Naughty Dog Is Not Working On A New Jak And Daxter

Sorry, Jak and Daxter fans, but it looks like Naughty Dog is not working on a new game, despite earlier rumors. The latest update comes directly from Naughty Dog president Evan Wells. 

As reported by VideoGamesChronicle via the Academy of Interactive Arts & Science’s Game Maker’s Notebook series, Naughty Dog president Evan Wells mentioned that a new Jak and Daxter game is, in fact, not in the works. Sighs all around, right? Jak and Daxter hasn’t had a new entry in ages, but apparently, the dynamic duo is still resonating with fans. Wells commented that they have received plenty of tweets, comments, and requests to bring Jak and Daxter back into the spotlight with a new game, but that one isn’t one being worked on now at all. So if you were hoping to see Jak and Daxter back into the spotlight anytime soon, it’s unfortunately not looking good.

That said, Wells commented that he wished that one was in development because there was still a lot of love for the characters. While collections from the series have made appearances, there hasn’t been a new entry in over a decade. While franchises can certainly come back after an extended time is gone, it’s not something that happens with any kind of regularity. Sometimes we get things like Perfect Dark coming back, though, so even though no Jak and Daxter is being worked on right now, never say never. 

“It’s an attractive update of a trilogy that, in many ways, marked the end of the action/platform era. Nintendo carries on, but the genre is now a niche market. The Jak series (along with its spiritual sister series Ratchet & Clank) is also the last time that the platformer seemed to really be engaged in the larger conversation of game development,” said Matt Helgeson in Game Informer’s review of the Jak & Daxter collection. “These games were intended to be blockbusters, to compete with the Grand Theft Autos of the world. While there’s been a platformer in recent years, most of those games are looking back to the simpler 8- and 16-bit eras.” The Jak and Daxter Collection scored a big 9.25 back in 2012. Helgeson’s words were prescient to discuss the end of eras, as Jak & Daxter haven’t really made any noteworthy appearances since.

Do you want a new Jak and Daxter game? Do you think the style could hold up today? Would you want it done differently? Let us know in the comments!

[Source: VideoGamesChronicle]