The Last of Us’ Druckmann and Straley ‘were not involved’
News broke this week that head writer and creative director for theUnchartedseries Amy Hennig hadleft developer Naughty Dog. As if that weren’t enough of a surprise, there was talk of her being “forced out,” according to IGN sources, byThe Last of Uswriter Neil Druckmann and director Bruce Straley. The studio has publicly denied these claims.
“Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann were NOT involved in what transpired,” reads a statement from Naughty Dog co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra. “It was very upsetting to us that dozens of stories were run, linking back to the same hurtful accusations in the original report. As co-presidents of Naughty Dog, we are responsible for all studio affairs.
“Normally, we wouldn’t respond to rumors and speculation on matters that are internal to Naughty Dog, but because the personal reputation of two of our employees is being damaged we needed to set the record straight. There is nothing left to be said on this subject. Now we’re going back to what we should be focused on — making games.”
We may never know the full story. Frankly, I’d rather hear about Hennig’s next move — the past can’t be changed. There have been calls for her to return to theLegacy of Kainseries, which I get.
Statement from Co-Presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra[Naughty Dog]
