As a studio, Naughty Dog is home to many developers who have stayed loyal to the company for years – or decades even – witnessing and contributing to its momentous growth over the generations. One such developer is Naughty Dog Co-President Evan Wells, who after 25 years at the studio, has announced his retirement.
Taking to the studio’s blog, Evan Wells wrote “After 25 years at Naughty Dog, I wanted to share with all of you that I've decided to retire at the end of this year. 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 realize that I'm content with my time at the studio and all that we've accomplished together over the last 25 years.”
Speaking on the future of the studio without him, Wells continued, “I couldn't be more confident in Neil's ability to carry on running the studio. It's the right time for me to provide the opportunity for him and the others on the Studio Leadership Team to steer the studio into a successful future,” adding that “I couldn't be more excited about our current projects and not getting to see those games to completion is going to be hard. But we've never had a stronger team in place to ensure that we will deliver them in a way that will set industry standards and exceed all expectations.”
The post is lengthy and includes many anecdotes, however Wells concludes the announcement by saying “Thank you for what has truly been a tremendous adventure, I'm thrilled to see what the future holds for this inspiring team and I'm so proud of you all!”
With Wells leaving, Neil Druckmann seems set to be the only President of Naughty Dog. It will be interesting to see how this new era for the studio progresses.
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