Naughty Dog

The Profile

Naughty Dog is an American video game studio founded in 1984 by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin. Now part of Sony Interactive Entertainment, it is known for genre-defining series including Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us.

Based in Santa Monica, California; acquired by Sony in 2001; notable leaders have included Evan Wells and Neil Druckmann; flagship franchises span Crash Bandicoot (PS1 era), Jak and Daxter (PS2), Uncharted (PS3/PS4), and The Last of Us (PS3–PS5).

Reviewers celebrate Naughty Dog’s range: from Crash Bandicoot’s brutal, old-school platforming to Uncharted 2’s cinematic fireworks and The Last of Us’s character-driven storytelling. Praise centers on atmosphere, narrative cohesion and technical artistry. Critiques point to repetitive combat and arena-like encounters in TLOU’s human fights. Left Behind is hailed for intimate pacing and thematic focus. Overall sentiment: strongly positive.