In a special message shared within the studio, and then published online, Naughty Dog Co-President Evan Wells officially announced that he will be retiring from the studio. After a long career that spanned 25 years with the Santa Monica-based studio, Wells revealed that he will be stepping down from his position at the end of the year. Wells stated in his open letter that his decision was not an easy one, but that in the end, his decision feels like the right one. “The decision brings with it overwhelming and conflicting emotions, but I’ve come to realize that I’m content with my time at the studio and all that we’ve accomplished together over the last 25 years.”
Well also expressed optimism about the future of Naughty Dog and is looking forward to what the studio creates despite his absence. “I couldn’t be more excited about our current projects, and not getting to see those games to completion is going to be hard.” He said. In a separate internal message, which was also made public, fellow Co-President Neil Druckman stated that he and Wells would continue to be Co-Heads of the studio until Wells departs at the end of 2023. Druckman also stated that Vice President Alison Mori was being promoted to Studio Manager and Head of Operations in order to assist Druckman further.
As we already mentioned, Wells’ career at Naughty Dog spans 25 years, making him one of the longest-tenured employees of the studio. Wells joined the company in 1998 where he was immediately installed as the Lead Designer for the PlayStation title Crash Bandicoot: Warped, which went on to be critically acclaimed. He would then be the lead designer for the first four Jak and Daxter titles. In 2004, following the departures of Naughty Dog Co-Founders Jason Rubin and Andy Gavin, Wells became Co-President alongside Stephen White, who was then replaced by Christophe Balestra one year later.
During Wells’ time as Co-President and President, Naughty Dog became one of the premier video game studios in the entire industry. This was brought to fruition with the Uncharted and The Last of Us series, both of which are often considered some of the greatest titles in video game history. Druckman joined Wells as Co-President in late 2020, but once Wells fully departs, we wouldn’t be surprised if Druckman takes the reigns all on his own.