Coming off the success of Crash Bandicoot , Naughty Dog co-founders Jason Rubin and Andy Gavin decided to sell the studio to Sony in 2001, a decision Rubin believes has enabled the studio to achieve the incredible heights it has in the years that followed.

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On the latest episode of our monthly interview show IGN Unfiltered , Rubin acknowledged that it wasn't an easy decision to sell Naughty Dog to Sony, saying he and Gavin "definitely agonized over it."Rubin recalled the moment when he and Gavin first considered selling the company, a time at which Crash Bandicoot was doing incredibly well for PlayStation and former Sony exec Kelly Flock suggested they "think about safe harbor."After discussing a bit further, Rubin and Gavin decided "it made sense" to sell. "Our relationship with Sony was already so intertwined and magical and amazing that certainty for both parties made a lot of sense," Rubin explained. "I think—my personal life decision aside—it was the right decision for Naughty Dog. Look where Naughty Dog is today. As an independent, I don't think Naughty Dog could have done that. I don't think you'd have these games."Naughty Dog stole the show at PlayStation Experience earlier this month, announcing two new projects for PlayStation 4: a new standalone chapter in the Uncharted franchise and a sequel to The Last of Us Rubin also emphasized just how strong the relationship between Sony and Naughty Dog has been over the years, and how this partnership has resulted in such amazing content from the studio. "Sony has been incredible to Naughty Dog, always giving them the assets that they need to compete," he said. "Most people don't realize but quite often a game is won because a game got more budget. It's bigger, badder, it's cooler because it got more budget."For more on Rubin's thoughts about Naughty Dog, as well as the future of VR, stay tuned tomorrow for the full episode of this month's IGN Unfiltered interview with the industry legend who now serves as the head of content at Oculus

Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter