Bruce Straley On Coven Of The Chicken Foot: ‘It’s Actually An Idea From Way Back When We Started Jak And Daxter’

The Last of Us co-creator Bruce Straley revealed his next game, Coven of the Chicken Foot, during The Game Awards 2025 earlier this month. Developed at Wildflower Interactive, a new studio Straley founded in 2022, Coven of the Chicken Foot promises a witchy post-apocalyptic adventure about an old woman exploring a fantasy world after its dungeons have been plundered, its caves explored, and its enemies defeated. 

Along the way, this witch will encounter an oddball companion that will autonomously work with you to complete puzzles, platform through levels, and more. During today’s episode of Kinda Funny Games Daily, Straley appeared alongside host Greg Miller to briefly discuss Coven of the Chicken Foot before diving into the video game news of the day, which is what the show is about. During this chat, which happened at the top of the show, Straley explained that the idea behind Coven of the Chicken Foot had been lingering in his mind for years. 

While speaking to an old Naughty Dog colleague about game development, Straley recalls telling that colleague, “[I] have an idea that’s been lingering for many years. It’s actually an idea from way back when we started Jak and Daxter. It’s just kind of been lingering; it’s even in the Naughty Dog art book, like I drew some pictures and stuff.” Presumably, Straley is referring to the 2014 Dark Horse Comics-published book, “The Art of Naughty Dog.” 

“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?'” 

Straley explained that after a year of prototyping, Wildflower Interactive had three or four people on board and then created demos and pitched the game. 

“The game said to me, ‘I want to get made. This is a game I would play. It’s a game that I’m proud to make,'” he concludes. 

Elsewhere in the show, Straley listed “Circe” by Madeline Miller and “The Buried Giant” by Kazuo Ishiguro as two significant sources of inspiration for Coven of the Chicken Foot. 

There’s no release date for Coven of the Chicken Foot yet, but it is currently in development at Wildflower Interactive for PC. 

Are you excited to play Coven of the Chicken Foot? Let us know in the comments below!