The Last of Us multiplayer title’s Principal Designer has left Naughty Dog

Anders Howard, Naughty Dog's Principal Monetization Designer for The Last of Us multiplayer title, has left the studio less than a year after joining.

The details:

• As spotted by X user @Joanastic and later shared by @NaughtyDogInfo, Howard has updated his LinkedIn profile to mark the end of his 11-month run at Naughty Dog after joining in November 2022.
• Before joining Naughty Dog, Howard worked for Epic Games as a systems designer on Fortnite, where he was responsible for developing “the core of Battle Pass progression strategy, delivering overwhelming value for that product to as many players as possible.” With the battle pass becoming one of Fortnite's most successful features and the majority of live-service titles incorporating some variation of the system, it's likely Naughty Dog intended to include the feature in Factions.
• Confirmation of Howard's departure came just a day after it was claimed that Naughty Dog had laid off approximately 25 contractors and allegedly told employees to keep quiet about the layoffs. It also appears possible that The Last of Us: Factions will be canceled shortly, as Bungie reportedly gave the game a negative review internally, causing Sony to divert resources away from the project.

More gaming news:

• Nintendo has confirmed that it will continue to support the Switch through 2025, with the console remaining a priority until the end of the fiscal year 2023-24. This comes after several reports and rumors that the company intends to release a new console in the second half of 2024.
• Hyenas, the recently canceled shooter from Creative Assembly, is said to have suffered from a lack of direction during development, with claims that it would have been Sega's biggest budget game since the original Shenmue on the Dreamcast.