In the long string of talent displacement these last few weeks in the game industry, IGN has word on yet another industry departure, this time at Naughty Dog. Sources have told IGN that Amy Hennig has left Naughty Dog after 10 years.
Set as writer and director on Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Amy has allegedly been “forced out” from the company, separating her from work on Uncharted 4, where she was set to continue writing and directing.
IGN's trusted sources have claimed that Hennig was “forced out” by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley, the folks behind The Last of Us. Druckmann and Straley were The Last of Us' director and creative director/writer, respectively.
A Sony representative spoke to IGN and provided them with the following statement, "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."
The term “forced out” has some internal conflict connotations to it. This is purely speculation, but perhaps Druckmann and Staley's alleged take over of Uncharted 4 was a business decision within Naughty Dog to try and emulate the success that came from The Last of Us - by carrying over two of that game's leads to the next Uncharted game.
Regardless of the reasoning, which we don't really know at this point, it's a shame to hear about anyone losing their job, especially someone behind well-received games such as the Uncharted series. Here's hoping Hennig lands somewhere quickly to lend her talents to another studio.
