Neil Druckmann
Neil Druckmann | |
|---|---|
 Druckmann at the 2014 Comic-Con International | |
| Born | c. 1978 (age 45–46) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Occupation(s) | Creative Director, Writer |
| Employer | Naughty Dog |
| Notable work | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, The Last of Us, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End |
| Children | 1 |
Neil Druckmann is an American writer, creative director and programmer for the video game developer Naughty Dog.[1]
Education
Druckmann enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied Criminology. He took a programming course, stating that it came easily to him. Eventually, he switched majors and enrolled into Entertainment Technology, and later earned his master's degree from CMU's Entertainment Technology Center.[1]
Career
Druckmann began his work in the gaming industry as an intern at Naughty Dog in 2004 through connections with co-president Evan Wells. He was later promoted to a programmer and worked on Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing between the years of 2004 and 2005. He then joined the design team for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune from 2005 to 2007, and was later lead designer for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves in 2009.[1]
He gained worldwide acclaim for his creation The Last of Us, a video game released in 2013, in which he played the critical position of creative director. In his 2013 keynote speech in Toronto, Druckmann stated that he was titled the role of creative director for the next Naughty Dog game after completion of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. He was tasked with rebooting the Jak and Daxter series. However, after much thought and deliberation with his team, he states that the idea of another Jak and Daxter game was “more for marketing… and that we weren’t doing service to the fans of this franchise”. After speaking with their boss, Druckmann and fellow director, Bruce Straley, were given free rein over what the next game installment in the Naughty Dog franchise would be. At first, they were unsure which direction they should take next; however, Druckmann’s educational background had helped spark the idea for the next installment.[2]
When he was completing his major at Carnegie Mellon, Druckmann and his classmates were tasked with coming up with a concept for a Night of the Living Dead game for George Romero, to which he mashed up the mechanics of the PlayStation 2 game Ico, along with the character and protagonist John Hartigan of Sin City. Druckmann drew most of his inspiration from them, and although his concept was rejected by Romero, they would later be the starting point for the story behind The Last of Us. However, before the ideas and brainstorming began for the game, Druckmann had written and illustrated a comic titled The Turning between 2004 and 2006, which he had planned into making a six-part series; however, it had been rejected by publishers. Eventually, the ideas and themes behind his comic and his concept for a Night of the Living Dead game had morphed into the back story for The Last of Us.[2]
The Last of Us
Druckmann stated that the basis of the apocalyptic world was a fungus that would spread through the human brain, and the idea came from BBC's Planet Earth episode "Jungles" of a fungus known as Cordyceps, which has similar implications in insects.[3][4] Druckmann and Straley had then tossed around the idea of a world in which this fungus would jump to – and infect – the human race. This had eventually become the grounds for an apocalyptic world in The Last of Us, which is one of Druckmann's most notable works.[3]
Druckmann also co-wrote the four part comic series titled The Last of Us: American Dreams, with writer and artist Faith Erin Hicks and colorist Christina Strain. It was published by Dark Horse Comics and was first released in April 2013.[5]
Personal life
Druckmann became a father during the development of The Last of Us.[6]
Awards
| Year | Result | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Won | BAFTA Games Award for Best Story[7] |
| 2014 | Won | Writers Guild of America Award for Achievement in Videogame Writing[8] |
| 2015 | Won | Writers Guild of America Award for Achievement in Videogame Writing[9] |
| 2015 | Won | BAFTA Games Award for Best Story[10] |
References
- ^ a b c Meet Naughty Dog’s Renaissance Man Edge. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
- ^ a b The Making of "The Last of Us" - Part 1: A Cop, A Mute Girl and Mankind Youtube. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
- ^ a b Grounded: The Making of The Last of Us Youtube. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ Cordyceps BBC Nature. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
- ^ The Last of Us: American Dreams Dark Horse. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (September 19, 2013). "The power of failure: making 'The Last of Us'". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ BAFTA Games Awards "British Academy Games Awards". Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ 2014 Writers Guild Awards Videogame Nominees Writers Guild of America. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
- ^ 2015 Writers Guild Awards Videogame Nominees Writers Guild of America. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ BAFTA Games Awards "British Academy Games Awards". Retrieved March 12, 2015.