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

by Danny Craig · 10/5/23, 3:15 PM
The Last of Us multiplayer title’s Principal Designer has left Naughty Dog
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.

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