Co-director on PlayStation exclusives The Last of Us and Uncharted 4, Bruce Straley, will be leaving Naughty Dog after nearly 2 decades.

　　Straley announced his departure on the studio’s official blog. “This has been the hardest decision of my career”, the game director wrote. “Naughty Dog is home. The Kennel is family. I’ve learned and grown so much from working with this incredible team. But after heading up three extremely demanding projects, and taking some extended time away from the office, I found my energy focusing in other directions, and I slowly realized this was the signal that it’s time to move on.”

　　Hired as a texture artist on Crash Team Racing back in 1999, Straley became co-art director on the first Uncharted and was appointed game director on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves afterwards. “I’m leaving Naughty Dog with the strongest team it’s ever had, and that’s saying a lot”, he continued. “But more than the talent, it’s the people that I’ll miss the most. The work culture at Naughty Dog is about getting out of your seat and solving problems together. It’s what has allowed me to build so many friendships and gain so much respect for this stellar group of people.”

　　Straley co-directed the award-winning The Last of Us and its expansion, Left Behind, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

　　In a similar message, Naughty Dog President Evan Wells shared to be sad to see Straley go. “Over the years Naughty Dog has had to part ways with many talented team members, and it’s always sad to see them go, but this one is particularly hard for me”, Wells said.

　　“Bruce’s drive for excellence and enthusiastic support for his teammates has helped shape the studio culture and will continue to have a lasting impact. For that alone, the entire team is grateful. And for me, I can attribute much of my own personal growth as a game developer to having worked alongside his amazing talent for more than twenty years. It's really crazy to think that much time has passed! And through it all, I’m even more fortunate to be able to count him as a friend.”

　　What Straley will be doing next is unsure at this point, but we keep you updated as soon as we learn more about his endeavors.