Co-president of Naughty Dog, Evan Wells, announces retirement after 25 years
Evan Wells is stepping down as co-president of Naughty Dog—creators of The Last of Us and Uncharted series—after 25 years, according to a blog post on the Naughty Dog website yesterday.
«This is something that I’ve been discussing with Naughty Dog’s Studio Leadership Team for well over a year, and with Neil for even longer than that. The decision brings with it overwhelming and conflicting emotions, but I’ve come to realise that I’m content with my time at the studio and all that we’ve accomplished together over the last 25 years.»
Wells reflected on his time with the development team and its considerable growth during his tenure: «I’ve been making games professionally for over 30 years, and Naughty Dog has been my home for over half my life! I’ve seen this studio grow from hire number 14 (me!) during the Crash 3 days in 1998 to over 400 [developers] today.»
«There’s never a perfect time to step away, but I’m incredibly confident that I'll be leaving the studio in the best hands.»
Meanwhile, Neil Druckmann spoke about how the studio's leadership would change to adjust for Wells' departure. «As Evan has pointed out, our good fortune has led to immense and steady growth. With that kind of success and size comes the need to re-evaluate how we structure a Studio Leadership Team that reflects the next chapter for Naughty Dog.»
Among various moves, Druckmann announced that Anthony Newman, co-director of the Last of Us Factions—a project that's been spinning its wheels for a while—would become the studio's Head of Production and Design. It's unclear whether his new role will impact the game's uncertain future, but with Sony's current flare for annoyingly-staggered PC release dates, I'm not holding my breath either way.
Druckma
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