The Last of Us Co-Director Leaves Naughty Dog

From Crash Team Racing to The Last of Us.

By Jonathon Dornbush

Bruce Straley, co-director of both The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, has announced his departure from developer Naughty Dog.

In a post on Naughty Dog's officie site, Straley wrote that "this has been the hardest decision of my career," and that he has no current announcement about what his next steps will be. He did say, however, that he intends "to continue the journey into the creative process."

Straley began his time at Naughty Dog in 1999, working as a texture artist on Crash Team Racing as the company's 15th employee, he said.

"From day one, I knew I was surrounded by some of the most talented, driven, and passionate people in the industry. They were pushing themselves to do things beyond what they even thought was possible, which in turn pushed me, and I loved it," Straley wrote of his time at the studio.

Following artist work on the Jak and Daxter series, Straley worked on the Uncharted series since the first entry on the PS3 back in 2007. He is perhaps most well-known for co-directing The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End with Neil Druckmann, who continues to work at the studio as director of The Last of Us Part II.

Last year, Naughty Dog revealed that Straley would not be returning for The Last of Us sequel, instead having taken a year-long sabbatical after development on Uncharted 4 concluded.

Straley thanked his creative partners at the studio in his farewell, including Druckmann and Amy Hennig, as well as the company's founders Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin, and former Co-President Christophe Balestra, who also left Naughty Dog earlier this year.

"And a sincere thanks to the fans. Knowing I was a part of creating something that touched or moved any of you made this whole thing worthwhile — and now I, too, get to anticipate the next Naughty Dog masterpiece," Straley wrote.

Naughty Dog's most recent release was Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a spinoff title set after the events of Uncharted 4. For more, be sure to check out IGN's The Lost Legacy review. For the latest on The Last of Us Part II, check out a fan theory that suggests where part of the game may be set. And for more on the studio, check out IGN's extensive history of Naughty Dog.

Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. 

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