Uncharted: The Lost Legacy creative director Shaun Escayg leaves Naughty Dog after seven years, hinting that he may have joined The Avengers game project.
Over the last 12 months, The Last of Us and Uncharted developer Naughty Dog has lost several key figures. The developer’s co-president Christophe Balestra departed the studio in March 2017, while The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End co-director Bruce 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 when The Last of Us was in its “infancy,” explained the departing developer on Twitter. He then worked on standalone DLC The Last of Us: Left Behind as well as Uncharted 4 and most recently he was the writer and creative director of Uncharted: 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 the Uncharted developer on good terms.
On Instagram, Escayg also provided a small hint of what he might be working on next. The developer posted an image of The Avengers logo 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 on Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics’ Avengers video game.
Details on The Avengers game 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 the Uncharted: The Lost Legacy narrative 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 join The Avengers team.
As for what this means for the Uncharted series, it’s unclear. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy sales 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 to The Lost Legacy is to happen, whoever takes on the creative director role will have some big shoes to fill.
