The Last of Us creator receiving Legend award for 'profound impact on the industry'

It is no secret that The Last of Us franchise has been one of the most influential gaming experiences of the last ten years. Now it seems to celebrate this feat, its creator will be awarded a coveted title to celebrate his “profound impact on the industry”.

Released in 2013, The Last of Us has gone on to win multiple awards, evolve into an equally successful sequel and even get itself a HBO television adaptation. Now ten years on, fans are still very much dedicated to the franchise and they have one person to thank. As a result, co-president at Naughty Dog and the game’s creator Neil Druckmann is set to be honoured at the New York Video Game Critics Circle this December.

Check out The Last of Us Part 1 trailer below!

Taking place at the 13th annual New York Game Awards, Druckmann will be awarded the Andrew Yoon Legend Award with the award itself recognising those "who have propelled the gaming world forward, celebrating their profound impact on an industry that continues to captivate and connect people worldwide."

Spending all of his 20-year career at Naughty Dog, Druckmann is best known for his work on the Uncharted series as well as his creative leadership on The Last of Us. Not a bad career to have considering he first started out as an intern at the company.

“Neil Druckmann’s story is an inspirational one of self-determinism," said NYVGCC president Harold Goldberg. "He worked his way from an internship all the way up to being a co-president at Naughty Dog. His skill for creating titles that consistently redefine cinematic gameplay and human-centric storytelling not only deserves celebrating, but his efforts to create characters that represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives have enriched content in AAA games. His brilliant work has been lauded with multiple New York Game Awards over the year, and we are honoured to recognise him as this year’s Andrew Yoon Legend Award winner.”

This is a very coveted award with past winners including the likes of Xbox head Phil Spencer, Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima, Double Fine founder Tim Schafer and former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé among others.

Topics: Naughty Dog, The Last Of Us, PlayStation