When you think about Naughty Dog, superstar creators like Neil Druckmann and Amy Hennig come to mind, but there are plenty of other names that have contributed almost as much to the studio’s success. One of these names is Josh Scherr, who has written (alongside others) on almost every entry in the Uncharted series, particularly from Uncharted 4 on. He was also lead animator and director for Naughty Dog’s cutscenes until Uncharted 3 and was heavily involved in both the writing and design of The Last of Us Part II.
Well, today Scherr announced he was leaving Naughty Dog after 21 years, saying it was “time for something new,” although he didn’t state what that is…
Here goes:
When I was a kid, making video games was my hobby. Never dreamed I’d get to make them for a living, let alone at a studio like Naughty Dog.
Last week, after 21 years & 10 shipped games, I said goodbye to my friends & c̶o̶l̶l̶i̶e̶s̶ colleagues at the kennel.
🧵1/3: pic.twitter.com/Pklxo2ACeu
— Josh Scherr (@joshscherr) July 15, 2022
To all my amazing coworkers over the years:
I’m so grateful for your inspiration, your support, & your trust. Thank you for putting up with my faults, forgiving my mistakes, & giving me opportunities to grow.
Y’all are what made those 21 years memorable. We had fun. ❤️
🧵2/3: pic.twitter.com/nXjeheynHQ
— Josh Scherr (@joshscherr) July 15, 2022
I’ll miss the Dogs a ton, but at some point, I’ll get to play a Naughty Dog game knowing very little in advance. And they are cooking up some *incredible* stuff.
Seriously, URNOT🟥E.
As for me? It’s been a blast, but now it’s time for something new. More on that soon. 👀
🧵3/3 pic.twitter.com/SJzWQjGQsa
— Josh Scherr (@joshscherr) July 15, 2022
“When I was a kid, making video games was my hobby. Never dreamed I’d get to make them for a living, let alone at a studio like Naughty Dog. Last week, after 21 years and 10 shipped games, I said goodbye to my friends and c̶o̶l̶l̶i̶e̶s̶ colleagues at the kennel.
To all my amazing coworkers over the years: I’m so grateful for your inspiration, your support, & your trust. Thank you for putting up with my faults, forgiving my mistakes, & giving me opportunities to grow. Y’all are what made those 21 years memorable. We had fun.
I’ll miss the Dogs a ton, but at some point, I’ll get to play a Naughty Dog game knowing very little in advance. And they are cooking up some incredible stuff. Seriously, you are not ready. As for me? It’s been a blast, but now it’s time for something new. More on that soon.”
While Scherr worked on the second TLOU, it seems like his real passion and focus was the Uncharted franchise, so his departure perhaps isn’t that surprising considering the franchise’s uncertain future at Naughty Dog.
As for where Scherr might be headed, we can only guess at the moment. While it hasn’t been officially announced, Sony is known to have a “secret” new San Diego studio, which is working on a AAA action-adventure game that some have speculated is a new Uncharted or Uncharted spinoff. But that’s only a rumor, and Scherr says he’s doing “something new.” Maybe that something could be helping his old collaborator Amy Hennig make her Star Wars game at her new studio, but again, just speculation.
Naughty Dog will release The Last of Us Part I (a full remake of the PS3 game) on PS5 on September 2. A The Last of Us multiplayer project, said to be as big as ND’s single-player games, is also in the works.
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