A rumour surfaced on 4chan in June of 2019, which stated that a small second team at Naughty Dog is working on a new next-generation IP.

He further added that the new Ip’s codename is Stray’s Cross, and its final name is not yet confirmed. Everyone in the community trashed the leak from 4chan (where people list what they want as a leak). Even before the February release date for TLOU 2, the leaker said that the release date would be May 22.

Anyways we are in 2021 now, it’s been nine months since Naughty Dog’s latest release, and everyone is wondering what they are working on next. Is it the previously mentioned—TLOU Factions game or a DLC for TLOU:2, or maybe a completely new IP?

First Leak From 4 Chan.

A new leak appeared on 4chan, which states a few things that we have heard before.

The leaker first mentioned that he read an email regarding the latest developments from a recent presentation meeting held at the Naughty Dog’s office.

The meeting illustrated the upcoming games from the studio for the year 2021-2022. He further added that the meeting began with the mention of a new Uncharted game for PS5 and PC named Uncharted Chronicles, which will include all the games in the Uncharted series, even the Golden Abyss from PSVita.

The second project he said was the Standalone expansion for TLOU:2 titled Dark Sides. Dark sides will have a multiplayer mode ( probably the one which was too ambitious), a battle royal mode, and it will also include a new Single Player Chapter that will explore more about Abby. (Yay!!)

The release date for Dark Sides is 2021, and it will come to both the PS4 and PS5. Although Neil Druckmann, game director and co-writer for The Last of Us Part II, has been somewhat upfront regarding a DLC.

In a podcast with Greg Miller from Kinda Funny Games, Neil Druckmann stated that there was no plan for a DLC for The Last of Us Part II.

Lastly, the leaker said that ND’s next AAA IP would be Stray’s Cross, exclusive to PS5 and the upcoming PSVR2. A short clip shows the protagonist, with a first-person view, during shooting as he crosses portals that lead to different eras, from modern to Egyptian, from futuristic to prehistoric.

Although this new IP’s release date has not been finalized, the studio is doing its utmost to create an experience as interactive as possible.

If we believe this rumour, then the first leak in 2019 shared few details, which is worth looking at as it shared some story details. The leak in 2019 mentioned Stray’s Cross as an Action-Adventure First Person game with SteamPunk elements. The game will feature two playable protagonists; the first will be a Female scientist, and another will be a male construction worker who is also a wanted criminal. He also added a few points about the plot and the characters that you can read below.

Second Leak and Story Details From First Leak.

All of this can be true as Neil Druckman himself said that Naughty Dog has “several cool things” to reveal later, which can very well be the Uncharted collection, a standalone game for TLOU:2 and A new IP (Stray’s Cross). What do we think about the leak? Well, recently, Naughty Dog started hiring in preparation for their next game, which according to studio Co-President Neil Druckmann, is “something very cool.”

With all the things said what do you think? Are ND really working on a SteamPunk fps game and if yes are you hyped for it or not?