Christophe Balestra announced his retirement earlier today after 15 total years at Naughty Dog, many of which he spent as co-president of the company.
Under his leadership, Naughty Dog would produce the Uncharted series and The Last of Us, both of which saw releases on PlayStation 3 as well as on the current console generation.
He isn’t leaving Naughty Dog to move on to a new developer or secret project; rather, Balestra says he’s realized that it’s time he left his career behind to spend more time with his family and pursue ambitions and projects that are fulfilling on a personal level.
“Joining Naughty Dog in 2002 was the biggest decision for my family and my career. I was excited to join the team that created Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter,” shared Balestra in the blog post announcing his retirement.
“For me, the biggest appeal was working with the team responsible for games I love to play, ones that also looked stunning and were technically ahead of their time. I would have never guessed what my future at Naughty Dog would look like when I joined the studio as a programmer. “
Balestra's final day at Naughty Dog will fall on April 3. Following his departure, Balestra's long-time co-president Evan Wells will take over the presidential role in full.
No tags.
