As if it needed to be said,The Last of Usis generally considered to be one ofthe top video games of the last generation, with itsPart 2sequel easily being one of the most exciting exclusives in the works for PlayStation 4. Such admiration for these titles are due in no small part to the work of their director, Neil Druckmann, who is now being promoted to the position of Vice President of the developer Naughty Dog.
This much has been shared by an official blog post from Naughty Dog President Evan Wells, who stated thatThe Last of Usdirector has been “a vital part of the management team for some time,” and the decision to promote Druckman was done to recognize “his expanded role, [for] contributing on critical, studio level decisions.” According to Wells, this promotion won’t change Druckmann’s status as the Creative Director forThe Last of Us: Part 2.
In addition to Druckmann’s newfound position as Vice President of Naughty Dog, Wells went on to announce that Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau will be serving as the joint game directors onThe Last of Us: Part 2. Following their involvement with the company during the development ofUncharted 2, both “have been instrumental in leading the design department, and have been key contributors on [its] subsequent games.” What’s more is that Naughty Dog has also named Emilia Schatz and Richard Cambier as lead designers.
Beyond the lofty new title that has now been given to Druckmann, it’s obvious that he’s heavily invested inThe Last of Us: Part 2, ashe recently discussed inspirations for the sequel, citing external creative sources that helped to refine the dialogue of the forthcoming followup to the original 2013 release. All things considered, it looks as if Naughty Dog is going all-in on the talents of Druckmann and his team, which will undoubtedly influence the company’s output of games in the near to distant future.
The Last of Us: Part 2is currently in development for PlayStation 4.
