Naughty Dog is at the top when it comes to story driven video games. Their ability to invoke raw emotions from audiences through their incredible storytelling and character writing has earned them a very favourable reputation in the gaming landscape. And just recently, Naughty Dog announced that their Co-President, Evan Wells, will be retiring after 25 incredible years of commitment and service.
Evan Wells has had an incredibly successful career and has taken the Naughty Dog name to new heights. He started off as a Lead Designer on games like Crash Team Racing and the Jak and Daxter series, before being promoted to Co-President for the Uncharted series and The Last of Us games. He also served as Executive Producer of the incredibly popular and successful HBO adaptation of The Last of Us.
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Co-President of Naughty Dog Announces Retirement
Co-President Evan Wells announced his retirement in a statement released by Naughty Dog on July 11.
“I’ve decided to retire at the end of this year.”
The entire statement is quite bittersweet, as he recalls all of his past experiences with the studio. He goes into detail about his entire career and how he’s seen Naughty Dog grow from 14 employees to 400. He also mentions how he is incredibly confident in his team and Neil Druckmann’s ability to steer the studio in the right direction.
“I couldn’t be more confident in Neil’s ability to carry on running the studio.”
Evan Wells continues by stating how awe-inspiring it was to work at the studio and how grateful he is for everything he’s been able to accomplish. He expressed his gratitude towards the entire team, and mentioned how they’re the best to continue Naughty Dog’s incredible legacy.
“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.”
The Naughty Dog Co-President concluded his message by thanking everyone for the tremendous adventure and expressing his excitement towards the future projects that the studio is working on.
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Neil Druckmann To Take the Reins of The Studio
Evan Wells has handed the keys of the studio to none other than Neil Druckmann, the Co-Creator of The Last of Us. His work on both the aforementioned series and the Uncharted franchise has earned him a solid reputation among gamers. Most would agree that Neil Druckmann is probably the most qualified to take on the mantle of Head of Naughty Dog.
Under his leadership, the studio is sure to be successful. Just recently, he was heavily involved in the production of HBO’s The Last of Us, which ended up becoming one of the most popular and successful shows that the streaming giant has ever produced.
Even with Evan Wells retiring, it doesn’t seem like the studio has any plans to slow down. Multiple games are in development, and HBO’s The Last of Us is getting a second season. Hopefully they’ll continue to make masterpiece after masterpiece, and I for one cannot wait to see what they have in store.
What do you think about this change of leadership? Are you excited for the future of Naughty Dog? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Naughty Dog Official Statement
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