Uncharted 4 director departs Naughty Dog

Uncharted 4’s game director Justin Richmond has left Naughty Dog to work for League of Legends developer Riot games.

A statement from Richmond reads:

I have in fact made the decision to leave Naughty Dog. I love the company and the people and know that they will continue to create awesome games going forward. On a happier note, after careful consideration and exploration I have joined Riot Games. There is some really innovative stuff going on here that I can’t wait to be a part of.

Sony has since published a statement reassuring that Uncharted 4’s development will not be impacted by Richmond’s departure:

SCEA can confirm Justin Richmond has left Naughty Dog to pursue other opportunities. The development timeline of Uncharted will not be impacted.

This follows the recent news of Uncharted’s lead writer Amy Hennig exiting Naughty Dog as well, whether this is related or not is not known. However it’s fairly safe to assume Richmond completed most–if not all his duties on Uncharted 4 before deciding to move on.

Does this worry you at all? Or do you think that a new generation and chapter of Uncharted games might benefit from a few fresh key developers? Share your thoughts below in the comments!

Source 1, Source 2