In the video game world, rarely are things stagnant. Meaning, people come and people go when it comes to developers and publishers, it’s just the natural order of things. Yet, when someone gets promoted, fired, transferred, or just plain leaves, we tend to take notice. Thankfully, for Naughty Dog at least, the news is rather positive, as several members of the staff have been promoted to new positions. This was all outlined in a special post on their website, here’s the highlights.
First up, Neil Druckmann has gotten a promotion in a big way:
In recognition of his expanded role, contributing on critical, studio level decisions, Neil Druckmann is now Vice President of Naughty Dog. He’s been a vital part of the management team for some time now, and we’re proud to formally acknowledge his involvement. In addition to his new position, Neil will continue as the Creative Director on The Last of Us Part II.
It’s good to hear that Neil will still be on Last of Us, as that is his project, and it would be odd to see him taken off of it. But wait, there are more promotions to be revealed!
“We’re also excited to announce that Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau are the joint Game Directors on The Last of Us Part II. Both Kurt and Anthony joined Naughty Dog during Uncharted 2 and have been instrumental in leading the design department, and have been key contributors on our subsequent games. Emilia Schatz and Richard Cambier are the Lead Designers that round out the extremely talented design department’s leadership team.”
Well deserved all around, and it’s good to hear about promotions within Naughty Dog, as the company has had some very public leaves in the last few years, including several members of the Uncharted team. Here’s hoping we hear more of this news in the future and not more bad news.