Over the last 12 months,The Last of UsandUncharteddeveloper Naughty Dog has lost several key figures. The developer’s co-president Christophe Balestra departed the studio in March 2017, whileThe Last of UsandUncharted 4: A Thief’s Endco-directorBruce Straley left in September.
But Straley and Balestra aren’t the only big names at Naughty Dog to leave for pastures new. Shaun Escayg, who had worked at Naughty Dog for seven years, has also announced that he is leaving the developer too. Escayg joined Naughty Dog whenThe Last of Uswas in its “infancy,” explained the departing developer on Twitter. He then worked on standalone DLCThe Last of Us: Left Behindas well asUncharted 4and most recently he was the writer and creative director ofUncharted: The Lost Legacy.
It seems that there is no bad blood between Escayg and his (now former) employers. “I will miss all my dogs,” wrote Escayg in a tweet, indicating that he is leaving theUncharteddeveloper on good terms.
On Instagram, Escayg also provided a small hint of what he might be working on next. The developer posted an image ofThe Avengerslogo along with the caption “to new Adventures - bring it 2018!” The official Marvel and Marvel Studios accounts were tagged in the post too. It seems to confirm that Escayg is off to work onSquare Enix and Crystal Dynamics’Avengersvideo game.
Details onThe Avengersgame project are scant at the moment and Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics are keeping their cards close to their chests. However, it has been confirmed that the game will have a’completely original story.‘Naughty Dog is known for being a masterful storyteller and theUncharted: The Lost Legacynarrative created by Escayg and the team also received massive praise. Escayg is clearly very talented and it’s no wonder why Square and Crystal want him to joinThe Avengersteam.
As for what this means for theUnchartedseries, it’s unclear.Uncharted: The Lost Legacysales were strong and many fans wondered if a sequel would be possible, but will a sequel still happen without Escayg’s direction? If a follow up toThe Lost Legacyis to happen, whoever takes on the creative director role will have some big shoes to fill.
