Yet another industry figure has left developer Naughty Dog. Michael Knowland, most well-known in gaming circles for his character artistry for the much acclaimed The Last of Us, has left the company as of this April.
Word of his departure comes from his LinkedIn profile, GameInformer reports. No details have been given on the circumstances of his leaving the studio as we await further comment from both Sony and Naughty Dog.
This latest Naughty Dog related loss is on the heels of a large-scale exodus from the company that began with Uncharted creative director and writer Amy Hennig (Uncharted, Jak & Daxter) along with the game’s lead of Todd Stashwick (Justified). Both have since boarded third-party publisher Electronic Arts subsidiary Visceral to write for an alleged open-world Star Wars title now in the works. Other notable names to be tossed into the departure that includes lead artist Nate Wells, and Uncharted director Justin Richmond.
As the headlines continue to be unkind to Naughty Dog in recent weeks, we have yet to see what comes of the studio creatively in the time to come before E3 this June. Its next game tentatively entitled “Uncharted,” is expected to debut then and there. Watch the game’s Playstation 4 teaser if you haven’t already, complete with Stashwick’s interesting narration.
Via LinkedIn & GameInformer