The Last of Us game director Bruce Straley has apologized for singling out God of War Laufey in a comment about lack of innovation in triple-A games.
“God Of War Laufey, I look at that game, and every pixel is mindblowing,” Straley said in a recent Edge magazine feature. “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. And that’s nothing against the God Of War team. Just, across the board in triple-A, it feels like there’s no opportunity to inject fresh, innovative ideas.”
In his apology, posted on X, Laufey said that his comment is being used for “clickbait.”
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“I want to apologize to the Laufey team for dragging you all into this uninvited & unnecessary negative attention,” the director wrote. “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.”
Straley didn’t take back the central thrust of his remark, however, expanding on his position in a series of posts which place blame on industry leaders for the lack of “clear direction and conviction” he perceives in today’s big budget development scene.
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. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/Ri2KgfJ4yYSeptember 18, 2026
“The quest for GaaS & wanting to recreate the next Overwatch, Fortnite, Roblox, etc is not a viable strategy & frankly shows these ‘industry leaders’ don’t know their own brand,” said Straley.
“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 left triple-A development in 2017, and founded a new studio, Wildflower Interactive, in 2021. The indie studio is working on singleplayer adventure Coven of the Chicken Foot.
