Earlier tonight, IGN reported on their website that Uncharted series writer and creative director Amy Hennig has officially left Naughty Dog. A Sony representative reached out to the website via email and stated the following:
“We can confirm that Amy Hennig has left Naughty Dog. Amy has made significant contributions to the game industry and we appreciate all she has done for Naughty Dog. The development timeline of Uncharted will not be impacted.”
Multiple reports have suggested that Hennig was working on the Uncharted 4 storyline prior to leaving the studio on March 3rd. While the exact cause for her departure remains unknown for now, there has been quite a bit of speculation that she was “forced out” of the company by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. The talented duo released The Last of Us on PlayStation 3 last year.
Hearing this news is especially troubling and poses even more questions about what will happen to the Uncharted franchise now. While it seems like Neil and Bruce will most likely be taking over this franchise for the foreseeable future, you can’t help but wonder how this will also impact the possibility of a sequel to The Last of Us. Since Uncharted 4 has already been teased, one would assume that Naughty Dog will want to put all their time and resources towards this project. We also know that Amy is too talented of a writer and director to be without a job for long. Overall, it should be very interesting to see how all of these things turn out in the end.
Are you disappointed to hear that Amy will no longer be working on the Uncharted series? Please feel free to let us know in the comments section below.