Naughty Dog Co-President Evan Wells announced who will retire at the end of the year, ending his 25-year run at the studio.
He started his career at Sega, working on ToeJam & Earl. He eventually joined Naughty Dog in the late 1990s, where he went on to become one of the company’s top names. He oversaw the studio’s rise to become one of the most important parts of Sony and PlayStation.
“I couldn’t be more confident in Neil’s ability to continue running the studio,” he said, referring to Neil Druckmann. “The timing is right to give him and the other members of the studio’s leadership team the opportunity to lead the studio into a successful future.”
“I couldn’t be more excited about our current projects and not getting to see these games until they are finished is going to be tough. But we’ve never had such a strong team to ensure that we deliver them in a way that sets standards in the industry and exceeds all expectations,” continued Wells.
Erick Pangilinan and Jeremy Yates will join the leadership team as co-heads of the studio’s various art departments, while Anthony Newman will become head of production and design.
Pangilinan worked at Naughty Dog for over 25 years, eventually becoming an art director, while Yates was the lead animator on several games in the Uncharted franchise. Finally, Newman is known for having been the co-director of The Last of Us Part II.
Via VGC
