The Last of Us Part II naysayers will be very pleased to note that Neil Druckmann will still be writing and directing video games as Naughty Dog’s new Co-President.
Earlier this year, backlash surrounding The Last of Us II‘s story had some folks hoping for the developer’s ousting from Naughty Dog. Christmas came early just before this weekend when President Evan Wells announced a number of promotions within the studio, chief among which was Druckmann’s new position. I can’t count on my fingers how many people I came across who were hoping that the promotion means he won’t be involved in writing and directing video games. Perhaps, Druckmann himself was inundated with those comments because he followed up with the tweets below:
Excited to help lead the most amazing group of devs with my friend and mentor, @evan_wells! And big congrats to @cgyrling and @yoalimo on their well deserved and overdue promotions! https://t.co/7pNIXpZHRY
— Dr. Uckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) December 5, 2020
Oh… and I’ll still be directing and writing while helping to mentor the next wave of creators.
— Dr. Uckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) December 5, 2020
You love to see it!
Rest assured, Druckmann isn’t going anywhere and The Last of Us II was successful enough for Sony. SIE CEO Jim Ryan confirmed as much in a recent interview, where he also stressed the importance of creative freedom and allowing developers to craft diverse experiences.
The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima are currently leading in the player-voted Player’s Voice category of The Game Awards.
