Sponsored By

Christophe Balestra announced his retirement earlier today after 15 total years at Naughty Dog, many of which he spent as co-president of the company.

Alissa McAloon, Publisher

March 8, 2017

1 Min Read

Christophe Balestra announced his retirement earlier today after 15 total years at Naughty Dog, many of which he spent as co-president of the company.

Under his leadership, Naughty Dog would produce the Uncharted series and The Last of Us, both of which saw releases on PlayStation 3 as well as on the current console generation. 

He isn’t leaving Naughty Dog to move on to a new developer or secret project; rather, Balestra says he’s realized that it’s time he left his career behind to spend more time with his family and pursue ambitions and projects that are fulfilling on a personal level.

“Joining Naughty Dog in 2002 was the biggest decision for my family and my career. I was excited to join the team that created Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter,” shared Balestra in the blog post announcing his retirement.

“For me, the biggest appeal was working with the team responsible for games I love to play, ones that also looked stunning and were technically ahead of their time. I would have never guessed what my future at Naughty Dog would look like when I joined the studio as a programmer. “

Balestra's final day at Naughty Dog will fall on April 3. Following his departure, Balestra's long-time co-president Evan Wells will take over the presidential role in full.

About the Author(s)

Alissa McAloon

Publisher, GameDeveloper.com

As the Publisher of Game Developer, Alissa McAloon brings a decade of experience in the video game industry and media. When not working in the world of B2B game journalism, Alissa enjoys spending her time in the worlds of immersive sandbox games or dabbling in the occasional TTRPG.

Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox

You May Also Like