Naughty Dog's newest push for gaming respect

In a market dominated by lower-risk projects like sequels and remakes, any new title is bound to have an impact.

When it's from Naughty Dog, the studio that has of late dedicated itself to establishing a new respect for gaming via its cinematic Uncharted franchise, it's phenomenal.

That's why studio co-president, Christophe Balestra, can express his desire to change even the relevance of the phrase 'video game', without being trolled to oblivion.

Naughty Dog announced at the Spike Video Game Awards earlier this week that it is working on a new title, The Last of Us, with a goal of releasing in late 2012 or early 2013.

The announcement came with added surprise given that Naughty Dog has historically only worked on one title at a time, but has been able to put together a trailer for The Last of Us while completing Uncharted 3.

Now, Balestra has told USA Today that the title will attempt to elevate games to the level of respect reserved for films.

"We want to redefine what our medium is even called," Balestra says

"Video game is not an accurate name anymore. It is not necessarily a game with rules and a winner and a loser. It's an experience.

Take a look at the release trailer for The Last of Us and let us know what you think – does it have the potential to change gaming forever?