Naughty Dog Co-Founder Believes Selling to Sony Was the “Right Decision”

Andrew Gavin, one of the minds behind Naughty Dog, unveiled some interesting insights about why the studio decided to partner with Sony. It’s a question that comes up quite often and, understandably, it all boils down to money and financial stability during those crucial years.

In a post on LinkedIn, which Tech4Gamers picked up on, Gavin shared his thoughts on the dramatic rise in game development costs. Back in the ’80s, creating a game might’ve cost around $50,000. Fast forward to the era of popular titles like Jak and Daxter, and those numbers had blown up to a staggering $15 million. Given these soaring budgets, securing financial stability with Sony was almost a no-brainer.

For Naughty Dog, handling expenses running into a few hundred thousand dollars was feasible. However, when those figures escalated to the millions, it became a financial stretch the studio couldn’t bank on surviving in the early 2000s.

The exact sum for which Sony acquired Naughty Dog is still under wraps. Rumors suggest their investment ranged from $50 to $200 million back in 2001. This acquisition turned out to be a strategic move, as Naughty Dog has evolved into one of Sony’s flagship studios. Excitingly, while fans are still engaged with hits like The Last of Us, the studio is branching out with Intergalactic, its first new intellectual property since 2013.