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A trip down the memory lane of video games at Naughty Dog’s headquarters

@deantak
The Naughty Dog paw print logo greets visitors to the company's headquarters.
Image Credit: Dean Takahashi

I managed to get a rare peek inside Naughty Dog’s headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., during an interview with the co-directors of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann. Their game is peppered with Easter Eggs that are homages to games from the past, including The Secret of Monkey Island and Crash Bandicoot.

At the headquarters, I toured the place with community strategist Arne Meyer. We saw the signature Naughty Dog paw print at the entrance, as well as a trophy case of the company’s storied games, including the Uncharted series, The Last of Us, Jak and Daxter, and the Crash Bandicoot series. The company’s newest game, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, launched on May 10 on the PlayStation 4. It has an average rating on review aggregator Metacritic of 93 out of 100, and it sold more than 2.7 million units in its first week alone. To date, the whole Uncharted series has sold more than 23 million units.

One thing is for sure: Naughty Dog has probably made the sellers of picture frames and glass cases very happy in Santa Monica. We had fun walking around the office, and we hope you’ll like our photo gallery.

If you’d like to read about our conversation, here’s the links on saying goodbye to Uncharted, advice for game developers, making games over movies, Naughty Dog’s headquarters, and the Monkey Island Easter egg. And here’s the full comprensive interview.

The Naughty Dog paw print logo greets visitors to the company’s headquarters.
The whole company signed the 30th anniversary boards at Naughty Dog.
Some Uncharted props at Naughty Dog HQ
A scene from the DLC for The Last of Us.
Crash Bandicoot paraphernalia at Naughty Dog headquarters.
Fan art adorns the walls at Naughty Dog.
They have a lot of toys at Naughty Dog.
Awards, awards, and more awards at Naughty Dog.
Jak and Daxter art at Naughty Dog.
The waiting place in the lobby at Naughty Dog.
An homage to Uncharted at Naughty Dog’s HQ.
Nope, sorry. It’s not toys-to-life. Just toys at Naughty Dog HQ.
Feeling adventurous at Naughty Dog?
A lot of Japanese marketing material for Uncharted 4 at Naughty Dog’s HQ.
Can you identify everything in the glass case? More souvenirs at Naughty Dog HQ.
Employees signed this poster for The Last of Us at Naughty Dog’s headquarters.
Gear for The Last of Us at Naughty Dog’s HQ.
Magazine covers and awards adorn the walls at Naughty Dog.
Was Uncharted 2: Among Thieves the best in the series?
Nathan Drake painting at Naughty Dog HQ.
The long red hallway at Naughty Dog HQ.
The darker art department at Naughty Dog’s headquarters.
Uncharted series props
Some concept art with the ghost of Arne Meyer.
Naughty Dog has a lot of glass cases full of awards.
Sony kindly gave Naughty Dog a piece of an old booth.
There are rows and rows of awards at Naughty Dog HQ.
Jak and Daxter marketing material at Naughty Dog’s headquarters.
The engineering department at Naught Dog HQ.
Crash Bandicoot is in trouble at the Naughty Dog HQ.
Lots of cover stories on game magazines at Naughty Dog HQ.
Jak 3 poster at Naughty Dog HQ
There’s a movie theater at Naughty Dog HQ.
From the Jak and Daxter days at Naughty Dog HQ.
An early Naughty Dog game. Can someone tell me what it is?
I didn’t get a good look, but it’s a doc for an early Naughty Dog game.

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