The Last of Us Lead Character Artist Leaves Naughty Dog

The Last of Us lead character artist Michael Knowland has left the studio according to his updated LinkedIn profile which states that he departed this month.

Knowland follows numerous other high profile Naughty Dog developers who have departed from the studio in recent months including long-time writer and creative director Amy Hennig, The Last of Us artist Nate Wells, and Uncharted PS4 game director Justin Richmond.

Hennig is now creative director of EA Visceral's Star Wars game while Wells works at Unfinished Swan developer Giant Sparrow and Richmond has joined League of Legends maker Riot Games.  

Todd Stashwick, who narrated Uncharted PS4's trailer when it debuted last year, was also recently recast. Stashwick is currently working with Hennig at EA Visceral. 

While it's normal for staff to move on, the high profile nature of the departures and the frequency may suggest something is amiss at the Santa Monica developer which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.