From Jak and Daxter to The Last of Us 2, How Naughty Dog Has Pushed Gaming Technology Forward

gamerant.com:

Sony's first-party studios are known for producing high-quality games with cutting-edge graphics and memorable stories. Within its stable, Naughty Dog stands out for giving birth to some of gaming's biggest franchises including The Last of Us and Uncharted. The studio has built a reputation for having a perfectionist attitude and not daring to release anything unless it has been obsessively polished. Unfortunately, this means that gamers usually have to wait quite a while between releases. However, it also means that Naughty Dog has remained on the front-lines of technology in gaming.

Over the years, through its games, Naughty Dog has introduced innovations and gaming technology that have improved the gaming experience and opened new gameplay opportunities. While many gamers look to the future and impatiently anticipate the release of The Last of Us 2 Factions, it is worthwhile to look back at the ways Naughty Dog has influenced and improved the gaming industry.

Every Naughty Dog Franchise That It Has Seemingly Left Behind

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was released in 2001, which was the same year that Sony acquired Naughty Dog. The acquisition was spurred on by the realization that Universal Interactive owned the rights to Crash Bandicoot, which gave Naughty Dog and Sony less control over the franchise. Hence, Jak and Daxter would be an IP that truly belonged to PlayStation. Like Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter would go on to be a success, and it was thanks to some cleverly implemented tricks that the game stood out among the ocean of platformers that were around at the time.

Most notably, despite containing an open-world consisting of a series of interconnected levels, Jak and Daxter features no loading screens.