Jak and Daxter [a] is a video game franchise created by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin and owned by Sony Computer Entertainment . The series was developed by Naughty Dog with a number of installments being outsourced to Ready at Dawn and High Impact Games . The first game , released on December 3, 2001, was one of the earliest titles for the PlayStation 2 , and is regarded as a defining franchise for the console. The games are considered story-based platformers that feature a mixture of action , racing and puzzle solving . The series is set in a fictional universe that incorporates science fantasy , steampunk / cyberpunk , and mystical elements together, while centering on the eponymous characters as they try to uncover the secrets of their world, and unravel the mysteries left behind by an ancient race of Precursors . The games are inspired by both Eastern and Western culture, a decision made among the team members at Naughty Dog and related stakeholders while