Bruce Straley apologized several times to the developers of God of War Laufey for citing their game as an example of "AAA industry stagnation"

Bruce Straley, Naughty Dog veteran and one of the creators behind The Last of Us and Uncharted, has publicly apologized to the Santa Monica Studio team behind God of War Laufey. The apology came after an interview with Edge in which the developer used the game as an example of AAA industry stagnation.

I want to apologize to the Laufey team for dragging you all into this uninvited & unnecessary negative attention. I was trying to illustrate an industry concern & my mistake of naming your game is being used out of context & for clickbait. You don't need this. I'm sorry.

It's worth recalling the context behind the developer's original comments. Speaking with Edge, Straley said he finds modern AAA development, and especially the money men that fund it, "boring." He pointed to God of War Laufey as an example – a big-budget title he finds visually attractive but seemingly unsatisfying in gameplay.

Every pixel is mindblowing. The amount of work and skill that's gone into every single frame… I've made those kinds of games, and I'm still blown away. But when I actually look at what you're doing in the game? I'm not excited.

Even then, the developer noted that his criticism wasn't aimed at any specific team:

That's nothing against the God Of War team. Just, across the board in AAA, it feels like there's no opportunity to inject fresh, innovative ideas.

Straley doesn't fully walk back his position now, but he's expressed regret over the specific example he used. In a Twitter thread, he reiterated that his Edge interview touched on several concerns, chief among them a lack of innovation and risk-taking in the AAA space.

Tho this isn't the [God of War Laufey] team's fault! My fear is that our player base is getting tired of playing the same verbs for the last 20 years.

Straley also named titles, including his own work, that helped shape what he calls the "modern AAA" mold:

• Half-Life 2 – 2004

• Gears of War – 2006

• Bioshock – 2007

• Uncharted 2 – 2009

• The Last of Us – 2013

Each felt like they were trying to create a new experience within AAA.

According to Straley, too many studio executives would rather chase fleeting live-service success in the hope of becoming the next Fortnite than take a chance on something new. A truly innovative game has the potential to stick around as long as Half-Life 2, but the fact that these types of games rarely get the AAA red carpet "frankly shows these 'industry leaders' don't know their own brand," the developer said.

Hot take: There's a lack of good leadership, clear direction & conviction from the ppl at the top, in charge of the money. (Money = stability) I believe if they understand their brand, they could have honest, inspiring conversations w creators to steer our medium to innovate.

Straley closed by reaffirming that his regret lies with the example he chose, not the underlying point: "In trying to have a thoughtful conversation I stuck my foot in my mouth & mentioned Laufey, and that was my mistake."