The Last of Us director apologises to God of War Laufey developers for comments

Last of Us director Bruce Straley apologises after using God of War Laufey to discuss AAA game innovation

The Last of Us and Uncharted 4 director Bruce Straley has apologised to the developers of God of War Laufey after using the upcoming PlayStation 5 game as an example while discussing a lack of innovation in triple-A games.

Straley praised the technical work on God of War Laufey during an interview with Edge, but said he was not excited by what players do in the game.

He later said mentioning the title was a mistake after his comments attracted attention online.

“God of War Laufey, I look at that game, and every pixel is mindblowing,” Straley said. “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.”

Straley subsequently apologised directly to the Laufey team on X.

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/Ri2KgfJ4yY

— Bruce Straley (@bruce_straley) September 18, 2026

Straley then expanded on his concerns about the triple-A industry, saying he fears players are becoming tired of “playing the same verbs for the last 20 years.”

He cited Half-Life 2, Gears of War, BioShock, Uncharted 2 and The Last of Us as games that helped establish the “modern AAA” model while introducing different experiences at the time.

He also criticised attempts to recreate the success of Overwatch, Fortnite and Roblox, arguing that decisions at the top have limited developers’ ability to innovate.

Straley, who now runs Wildflower Interactive, ultimately acknowledged his example was misplaced.

“In trying to have a thoughtful conversation, I stuck my foot in my mouth & mentioned Laufey, and that was my mistake.”

God of War Laufey releases on February 16, 2027, for PlayStation 5.