Article: Bruce Straley On Coven Of The Chicken Foot: 'It's Actually An Idea From Way Back When We Started Jak And Daxter' by Wesley LeBlanc

"The idea was there, and it was like, 'Okay, there are some things I still want to prove out.' Like, is there a way to tell stories that are more interactive with characters, in a world, rather than a story being told to me that's more about cutscenes and exposition?" Straley told Miller when asked about his journey back into game development after a sabbatical that became a moment to depart from Naughty Dog back in 2017. "Nothing wrong with that – I did a lot of that. For me, I wanted to go like, 'Okay, it's like a spiritual successor of Ellie.' Everything we learned about Ellie and making this character feel dynamic and responsive in combat wasn't the same Ellie that – when she got pouty or excited, those were scripted moments, and I wanted to know if I could create those kinds of moments dynamically, like in-game, letting the player drive the story and the relationship with the character and I was like, 'Okay, what if?'"