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Last of Us art director abandons swans for tombs
The Last of Us Art Director Nate Wells has joined with Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics, according to a tweet from the artist. Wells departed from Giant Sparrow after spending roughly eight months with The Unfinished Swan developer. The art director previously worked at Irrational Games for 13 years before leaving the studio for Naughty Dog in August 2012, then Giant Sparrow this past April. Wells' departure from Giant Sparrow follows the release of The Unfinished Swan on PS4 and Vita in late October, and the developer's next project largely remains a mystery. It announced "Edith Finch" in March 2013 before changing its announcement to "Unannounced Giant Sparrow Project." The next project will not be a sequel to The Unfinished Swan, though the developer said it's "not a million miles away either." [Image: Giant Sparrow]
Nate Wells departs Naughty Dog, joins The Unfinished Swan dev
Art director Nate Wells switched animalian employers by leaving Naughty Dog this month for independent studio Giant Sparrow. 2012 saw Giant Sparrow come to the fore with PS3 game The Unfnished Swan, and the Californian dev is working on an unannounced project. Formerly at Irrational Games for 13 years, Wells joined Naughty Dog as Lead Artist back in August 2012. After nearly two years, including ten months of work on The Last of Us, Wells revealed he left the Sony-owned studio to join Giant Sparrow on April 3, where he'll likely work on the developer's next project. Giant Sparrow announced that game last year as Edith Finch, only to quickly retract the news and roll its title back to the much catchier "Unfinished Giant Sparrow Project." The studio promises that whatever that next game may be, "it's not a sequel to The Unfinished Swan but it's not a million miles away either." Wells' departure from Naughty Dog follows those of game director Justin Richmond, now at League of Legends studio Riot Games, and Uncharted writer Amy Hennig, who joined EA to work on Visceral Games' Star Wars project. The circumstances that surrounded Hennig's departure remain unclear, and the studio has vehemently denied a report that The Last of Us directors Bruce Stanley and Neil Druckman were "involved in what transpired." [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Nate Wells leaves Irrational Games for Naughty Dog
BioShock Infinite art director Nate Wells just left Irrational Games, and today he's revealed it's for a new gig at Santa Monica-based Naughty Dog. Wells announced the news on Twitter earlier today, though didn't say much more beyond that – it's unknown whether or not he'll have any hand in Naughty Dog's next game, The Last of Us.Wells was one of three high-profile vacancies at Irrational Games last week, which was soon followed by one high-profile hire: Epic Games alumnus Rod Fergusson. In a follow-up piece, Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine commented on Wells' departure and BioShock Infinite's new art director, Scott Sinclair.
Levine: 'I'm not going to stop people' from leaving Irrational
Art director Nate Wells worked at Irrational Games for 13 years, beginning in September 1999 and the company's System Shock 2 days. Yesterday we discovered Wells and a handful of other people working on BioShock Infinite were no longer with Irrational, and Wells' Twitter briefly teased a job change before being deleted. While the bulk of people leaving Irrational can be chalked up to industry turnover, Wells' departure stands out for the public and Irrational Games founder Ken Levine."In a company of 200 people you're going to have turnover," Levine tells Kotaku. "We never like to see a guy like Nate leave because he's been here for a long time, but it's been 13 years and I think sometimes people want to spread their wings. I'm not going to stop people. We love Nate and I think we all remain friends. After 13 years he sort of finished his work on BioShock Infinite, as you will be able to tell when you see the game again... I think Nate's moving on to something else."Replacing Wells is Scott Sinclair, the art director for the first BioShock. This rounds out the core BioShock team that has stuck with the franchise – which is an achievement all on its own, Levine says:"As far as the team itself, the lead artist, the art director, the creative director, the lead effects artist, the senior sound guy, the lead programer and the lead AI programmer from BioShock 1 are all on BioShock Infinite. I don't think there's a single senior BioShock team member that isn't here, which I think is amazing and a testament to their commitment to the studio."
An Irrational fear of monsters
"A good monster is a monster you can imagine in repose."That was the advice acclaimed horror writer and director Guillermo del Toro gave Ken Levine, the creator of the BioShock franchise, during a conversation on the Irrational Games podcast. Levine takes those words to heart in his own creative direction, and before building any terrifying monsters, he makes sure Irrational develops a rich, empathetic backstory that places each of the deformed, viciously homicidal creatures in routine settings, where they perform the most base of actions: contributing to society, petting a dog, relaxing, mourning.Four Irrational members – Levine, art director Nate Wells, lead artist Shawn Robertson, and sound man Pat Balthrop – gave the PAX audience a glimpse into the secret lives and creation of five major BioShock Infinite villains: the Motorized Patriot, Handyman, Siren, Boys of Silence and Songbird.
