Neil Druckmann‘s star has definitely been on the rise in the gaming world, specifically at the Sony-owned development studio, Naughty Dog.
Druckmann served as the creative director behind both The Last of Us and its sequel, The Last of Us: Part 2, along with Uncharted 4. Many of his games have shattered records for the studio, and for the PlayStation as a whole.
Now, Druckmann has been promoted to co-president of Naughty Dog, completing a meteoric rise through the company.
Druckmann started off as a programmer and designer, before he was named vice president of Naughty Dog back in 2018. Now, he steps into one of the big chairs as co-president, alongside Evan Wells.
Clearly believing that two heads are better than one, the studio has announced that Alison Mori and Christian Gyrling will both step into Druckmann’s old role, becoming co-vice presidents.
Both Mori and Gyrling were once the director of operations and co-director of programming for Naughty Dog, respectively.
Druckmann confirmed on Twitter that his new position does not mean he will be sitting on the sidelines.
Excited to help lead the most amazing group of devs with my friend and mentor, @evan_wells! And big congrats to @cgyrling and @yoalimo on their well deserved and overdue promotions! https://t.co/7pNIXpZHRY
— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) December 5, 2020
“I’ll still be directing and writing, while helping to mentor the next wave of creators,” Druckmann said in a follow-up tweet.
But that’s not all Druckmann is going to be doing. His duties in the video game world will be occurring alongside new ventures in the realm of television.
A year ago, it was revealed that HBO was going to be adapting The Last of Us into a new series for TV. Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin was announced to be at the helm, but he will not be running this ship by himself.
It was also announced that Druckmann would be stepping in as co-show runner, alongside Mazin. This has caused many to have more faith in the authenticity of the show. Whether you loved or hated the creative choices made in The Last of Us: Part 2 (and many of you haaaaaaated them), the fact remains that the creative mind behind the game will be at the wheel of the television series.
No casting announcements have been made as of yet, and HBO has just recently greenlit the series for a full season.
Of course, many fan theories have been circulating as to who might play Joel in this HBO reimagining. We’ve seen speculation on everyone from Hugh Jackman to Josh Brolin.
No matter who is chosen as the face of The Last of Us on the small screen, one thing for certain is that the mind behind the series will be authentic, with Druckmann at the helm of both this show and Naughty Dog as a whole.
