‘The Last Of Us 2’ Creative Director Neil Druckmann Becomes Co-President Of Naughty Dog
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Featured Image Credit: Naughty Dog
Neil Druckmann, creative director of The Last Of Us and The Last Of Us Part 2, has been promoted to the role of co-president of Naughty Dog.
He will be co-president-ing alongside Evan Wells, who broke the news publicly after an all-studio meeting on Friday. "As we close out a year that has seen its challenges as we all live through a global pandemic, there have been bright moments too," began Wells in the blog post. Christian Gyrling and Alison Mori, previously co-director of programming and director of operations respectively, have also gotten new roles as the two vice presidents of the studio. "We have such an incredible team at Naughty Dog and being able to work alongside each and every one of them is especially meaningful these days. I feel proud of the team when I'm able to recognize their accomplishments and contributions to the studio," enthused Wells.
After attaining an undergraduate degree in computer science and moving onto a postgraduate degree in entertainment technology, one of Druckmann's professors paid for him to attend the Game Developers Conference. This is where he met Jason Rubin, one of the founders of Naughty Dog, and when his professional career got off the ground. His first role in the industry was as an intern at Naughty Dog, and not long after that, he became a programmer on Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing. Then, he gained a credit as a designer for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
Following the development and completion of Uncharted 2, Wells chose Druckmann and Bruce Straley to lead development on a new game. This project would then transform into The Last of Us, with Druckmann in the role of creative director and Straley acting as its director. Of course, the rest is history, and its sequel became one of the hottest topics of the year. And, it's been a busy year! I mean, a brand-new The Last Of Us Part 2 trailer dropped earlier this week, and it's got almost as many dislikes as likes on YouTube.
On Twitter, Druckmann congratulated his colleagues and confirmed that he will remain as a creative director and writer as well as taking on these new responsibilities. The Last of Us Part 2 is tipped to win big at The Game Awards next week, with nominations in Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Performance, and Game of the Year, to name a few.
Topics: News, The Last Of Us
