A debate about innovation in gaming has erupted on Twitter following ex-Naughty Dog developer Bruce Straley’s “thug reply” to journalist Geoff Keighley.
Key Takeaways

The Exchange
While musing on the legacy of licensed IPs and the recent announcements about Star Wars and Indiana Jones titles, Keighley asked, what’s next?
Some great studios are doing licensed games.
– Respawn with Jedi Fallen Order
– Io with 007
– Machine/Bethesda with Indiana Jones
– Massive with Star WarsWhat’s your dream studio / franchise collaboration you hope to see one day?
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) January 13, 2021
Among the many replies came one from Bruce Straley, who directed The Last of Us and several Uncharted titles before leaving Naughty Dog in 2017. He was unimpressed with the question:
None. We need all that talent & money focused on creating new content, new IP, and innovating in the AAA space Geoff.
😉👍— Bruce Straley (@bruce_straley) January 13, 2021
In response, Keighley agreed that “we need great new IP/ideas,” but maintained that “there can be great innovation within licensed worlds too.”
The Debate
Predictably, this was only the start of the debate about innovation in gaming. Thousands of followers weighed in on the issue, with both sides bringing compelling arguments to the table.
“Truer words have never been spoken,” one user replied to Straley. “I am sick and tired of the gaming industry right now. All I see is generic games with no original ideas or risks, remakes, and remasters. Where is the originality nowadays??”

To another user, Straley’s comment was “out of touch.” As they pointed out the universally acclaimed The Witcher franchise is, in fact, a licensed IP. Come to think of it, so is CD Projekt Red‘s other big title, Cyberpunk 2077.
A similar argument held that licensed games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order might serve as effective gateways for newcomers to get into gaming.
And then there was the guy who threw Straley’s retort right back in his face:
https://twitter.com/Not_Pistorius/status/1349413737103552514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The Future
Of course, this is not the first time that the issue of innovation in gaming has been hotly debated, nor will it be the last. Many journalists are also tired of the gaming industry’s ever-deeper tilt into Hollywood franchises, and vice versa.
It all gestures toward the fact that games are now the biggest entertainment industry on the planet. This means that, at least for the big publishers, money is more important than creativity, a sure sell is more tempting than innovation.

Whether they use licensed IPs or create entirely new ones, the triple-A gaming industry in particular needs to try something new. Sadly, when a hefty bottom line combined with minimum effort remains a viable option, this is unlikely to happen.
But perhaps, as the culture of gaming continues to evolve, avenues will open for more auteur developers to try something genuinely new and exciting without having to make do with an indie budget. Hey, if Hollywood can do it (through, say, Christopher Nolan), then why not games?
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Since getting my first Game Boy at age 11, I have loved playing a variety of games, with an emphasis on single-player adventure and RPG titles. My favorites include Mario and Zelda games (and spinoffs like Mario Kart and Smash Bros.), The Elder Scrolls series, and basically anything by Rockstar.