TLOU Director claims he has only felt confident leading one game before

At this point, Neil Druckmann is one of the most well-known creators in the video game industry.

The Naughty Dog studio head recently attended the DICE summit where he and fellow creative director Cory Barlog (from PlayStation’s Santa Monica Studios) had an unscripted conversation in front of a live audience.

Speaking with Bralog about the creative process when deciding the direction that a new game or story will go, Druckmann had this to say:

The only project I was ever confident in that I was in charge of, was Uncharted 2. Every other project where I was at the head of it, I was sure at many points that we were not going to succeed. You just have to power past that feeling.

2009’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was a critical and financial hit for the studio, with many considering it to be the best entry in the Uncharted franchise.

Druckmann Struggled Balancing Bigger Projects And Expectations

He cites the enormous anxiety between managing the scope of a project while balancing a large staff and all the different budgets to manage.

“We know that our first idea is never the best one. We have to get to the seventh one to get something interesting, something unique. The first few, you’ve heard of it. It’s something you’ve seen before,” he explained.

Neil Druckmann speaking at the DICE summit with Cory Bralog

“That’s how you start to dig deeper. We know we’ll have to throw work away. That’s part of our process. At times that can be frustrating for people, members of the team, ourselves. But going through it over and over again, that’s how you get past your doubts.”

In the years and projects following Uncharted 2, Druckmann said that previous success does not guarantee future success.

Naughty Dog has solidified its processes and has seen no shortage of critical and financial hits ever since, but Druckmann remains adamant about constant idea iteration being a key aspect for himself and the studio as a whole.

All you can do is follow your instincts, follow the advice the team gives you, trust the process.

Druckmann returns to the Writing chair with Naughty Dog’s upcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet where he will again serve as Creative Director.