New Game Studio from Uncharted and TLOU Designer

Naughty Dog’s former game director, Vinit Agarwal, announced on social media that he is entering a new era. Agarwal, who worked on both the Uncharted and The Last of Us series, is leaving the studio where he spent 10 years, moving to Japan and preparing to establish his own game studio.

A Fresh Start After Uncharted and The Last of Us

Agarwal most recently directed the canceled multiplayer project The Last of Us. Naughty Dog officially shelved this project in 2023, declaring that it did not want to become a studio solely focused on live-service games. Following this decision, Agarwal announced his departure from the studio at the beginning of 2024.

The designer, who didn’t provide many details about his new venture, announced in a social media post that he would be moving to Japan and establishing a game studio. In a previous statement, he stated that he would continue developing multiplayer games and that his passion for such games remains.

Agarwal, who worked with prominent figures such as Bruce Straley, Neil Druckmann, and Evan Wells during his career at Naughty Dog, thanked them specifically in his farewell message on LinkedIn. Of the names he mentioned, only Neil Druckmann remains actively employed at Naughty Dog.

Druckmann is currently working on the studio’s new game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. According to a statement released in March, this new project will explore themes of faith and religion. The game’s lead actor also stated that he was warned in advance about the online backlash surrounding The Last of Us 2 and received Druckmann’s direct support in this matter.

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