For mange ville det være en drøm at arbejde hos Naughty Dog, men nu takker selskabets co-president Christophe Balestra af efter 12 års tjeneste hos udvikleren.
På udviklerens officielle hjemmeside gør Balestra det klart, at hans valg skyldes at give sin familie mere fokus i fremtiden:
"I never thought I would be saying something this difficult so soon - after fifteen years here, I am announcing my departure from Naughty Dog. My last day will be on April 3, 2017."
"It's very challenging to come to the realisation that it's time to step away from a career to pursue fulfilling personal ambitions and projects. I am doing it now out of utmost respect for the team and their unwavering dedication to Naughty Dog and our projects. The time has come for me to now spend more time with my family and create a void to see what I can fill it with (which will obviously involve programming)."
"I had the luxury and the honour to work with the most determined, talented and perfectionist people in our industry during my time at Naughty Dog. The collective high ambitions of everyone on the team have led us to ship some of the most awarded and critically acclaimed games of all time."
"Twelve years ago, when Evan [Wells] and I became Co-Presidents, Naughty Dog was facing a challenging future with the transition to a new platform while developing a new engine and an entirely new franchise simultaneously. Looking back and seeing where we managed to take the studio in just over a decade is undoubtedly my biggest professional achievement. Evan has been the perfect partner and I couldn't imagine achieving the success we've had without him. It's been a privilege to work with you, my friend."
"Thanks from the bottom of my heart to everyone I worked with during the last fifteen years, it's just been incredible."
Evan Wells vil nu lede Naughty Dog på egen hånd, men det bekymrer ikke Balestra, da Ewans ifølge ham er den perfekte leder til Naughty Dog.