Michael Knowland, Lead Character Artist of The Last of Us, Leaves Naughty Dog

Naughty Dog has seen an insane amount of departures lately, to the point that many are now doubting the stability and future output of the development house that gave us such classics as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and last year’s momentous The Last of Us. And now, to add to that long and troubled list, here’s another addition, another high profile departure from the studio- Michael Knowland, the Lead Character Artist at Naughty Dog, has left the studio after working with them for three years, his Linkedin profile indicates.

Of course, his departure probably won’t affect the still in development Uncharted 4, as there is no indication that he was working on that title at all. Still, it is another scathing indictment on the studio and its culture, which seems to have endured a rocky transition and a less than stellar start, going into the new generation.

Uncharted 4 is due for the PlayStation 4 some time in the future.