Former Naughty Dog director Bruce Straley believes AAA games have become increasingly “boring,” arguing that large-scale development leaves too little room for fresh and innovative ideas.

Straley, who previously worked on The Last of Us and directed Uncharted 4 alongside Neil Druckmann, discussed the current state of AAA development in an interview with Edge.

“I think the verbs and experiences we’re delivering in the triple-A space are… I wanna say boring.”

According to Straley, the problem extends across much of the AAA industry.

“Just, across the board in triple-A, it feels like there’s no opportunity to inject fresh, innovative ideas.”

He even revealed that he has an idea for a AAA game of his own, but believes he will “probably never make it.”

God of War Laufey Doesn’t Excite Him Either

Straley also used Bog rata Laufey as an example while discussing the types of experiences being created at the highest end of the industry.

He stressed that his reaction isn’t intended as criticism of the development team itself, saying:

“And that’s nothing against the God of War team.”

However, looking at the gameplay shown for the project doesn’t leave him particularly excited, reflecting his broader concerns about how familiar many AAA experiences have become.

Straley Is Taking a Different Approach

After leaving Naughty Dog, Straley founded Wildflower Interactive, a studio focused on smaller, creatively driven and distinctively styled games rather than traditional AAA productions.

Its debut project, Coven of the Chicken Foot, follows an elderly witch with chicken-like feet exploring a semi-open world alongside a mysterious companion.

The slower and more unconventional adventure represents a very different direction from the blockbuster games Straley spent much of his career creating — and one that appears much closer to the kind of experimentation he believes modern AAA development is increasingly struggling to accommodate.

OPINION: Personally, I’ve never been more excited for a game than Bog rata Laufey — not even GTA 6. I genuinely believe this game has the potential to tie together some of the remaining loose ends from the Norse saga and prove that there are still meaningful stories left to tell in this world.