Evan Wells
Evan Wells | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Stanford University |
Occupation(s) | Game director, artist |
Years active | 1993–present |
Employer | Naughty Dog |
Title | Co-president |
Evan Wells is an American video game designer and programmer and co-president of
Career
Evan Wells graduated from Stanford University in 1995 with a computer science degree.[1] He worked at Sega in 1993, working on ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (1993) as a lead tester, before working at Crystal Dynamics from 1994 to 1998, working on Gex (1995) as a programmer, and Gex: Enter the Gecko (1998) as lead designer. Wells then moved to Naughty Dog, where he worked on Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998), Crash Team Racing (1999),[2] Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001), Jak II (2003), Jak 3 (2004) and Jak X: Combat Racing (2005).[3] Following the departure of founders Jason Rubin and Andy Gavin in 2004, Wells became co-president of Naughty Dog alongside Stephen White; White was replaced by Christophe Balestra after a year. Wells continued to work as co-president during the release of the Uncharted titles (2007–17), as well as The Last of Us (2013). Balestra retired from the company in April 2017; Wells became the sole president.[4] Neil Druckmann was promoted to vice president in March 2018,[5] and to co-president alongside Wells in December 2020.[6] Wells was an executive producer on the film Uncharted (2022),[7] and on the television adaptation of The Last of Us with HBO.[8] In July 2023, Wells announced he would retire by the end of the year.[9]
Works
Video games
Year | Game title | Role |
---|---|---|
1993 | ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron | Lead tester, level design[3] |
1995 | Gex | Programmer[3] |
1998 | Gex: Enter the Gecko | Lead designer[3] |
1998 | Crash Bandicoot: Warped | Lead designer[3] |
1999 | Crash Team Racing | Lead designer |
2001 | Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy | Lead designer |
2003 | Jak II | Lead designer |
2004 | Jak 3 | Lead designer |
2005 | Jak X: Combat Racing | Co-president |
2007 | Uncharted: Drake's Fortune | Co-president |
2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | Co-president |
2011 | Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | Co-president |
2013 | The Last of Us | Co-president |
2014 | The Last of Us: Left Behind | Co-president |
2016 | Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | Co-president |
2017 | Uncharted: The Lost Legacy | President |
2020 | The Last of Us Part II | President |
Film and television
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2013 | Grounded: Making The Last of Us | Documentary[10] |
2015 | Conversations with Creators | Web series; Episode 2[11] |
2022 | Uncharted | Film; executive producer[7] |
2023 | The Last of Us | Television series; executive producer[8] |
References
- ^ "Naughty Dog 30th Anniversary Contest". welovefine. Mighty Fine. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ "How Crash Team Racing Challenged Mario Kart and Made Naughty Dog What It is Today". February 7, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Naughty Dog's Evan Wells". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. November 16, 2007. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ Dornbush, Jonathon (March 8, 2017). "Naughty Dog Co-President Christophe Balestra Announces Departure From Studio". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- ^ Wells, Evan (March 9, 2018). "An Update from Studio President Evan Wells". Naughty Dog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archivedfrom the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ a b Complex, Valerie (October 21, 2021). "'Uncharted' Trailer: Tom Holland Is Video Game Adventurer Nathan Drake". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (March 5, 2020). "'The Last of Us' Series in Development at HBO From 'Chernobyl' Creator". Variety. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- Hookshot Media. Archivedfrom the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- Sony Computer Entertainment. Archivedfrom the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- Sony Computer Entertainment. Archivedfrom the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
External links
- Evan Wells at IMDb