Today The Last of Us and Uncharted developer Naughty Dog announced that its head of technology, Christian Gyrling, has left after 17 years at the studio.
Gyrling has worked at the Santa Monica-based, PlayStation-owned studio since 2006 when he debuted as a gameplay programmer focusing on NPC animation (according to his Linkedin profile).
He was then promoted to lead programmer in 2010, programming director in 2017, and vice president in 2020.
Only four months ago, in July 2023, Gyrling was named Head of Technology within the studio’s new leadership team.
The announcement from Naughty Dog, published on X (formerly Twitter) expresses gratitude for Gyrling’s work but doesn’t explain his departure or what he’ll be doing next.
We also learn that he’ll be succeeded in the role by 19-year veteran Travis McIntosh, who was previously programming director.
Our head of technology Christian Gyrling has decided to leave Naughty Dog after an amazing 17-year career at our studio. We’re grateful for his many contributions to the studio, our games, and his teammates.
We will miss Christian greatly and wish him the best of luck on where his path leads next. Travis McIntosh, a 19-year veteran at Naughty Dog, will succeed Christian as head of technology.
At the moment of this writing, Gyrling has not publicly commented on his departure or on his future plans.
Just recently, we heard that Naughty Dog is still working on its The Last of Us multiplayer game, contradicting rumors alleging that it had been canceled following a delay announced earlier this year and the reveal that a new single-player experience is also in the works.
We’ve also heard reports of layoffs at the company, part of a wider initiative to “increase efficiency and competitivity” at Sony Interactive Entertainment, partly confirmed yesterday by Sony’s COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki, who will soon take on the role of interim CEO of PlayStation following the announced departure of Jim Ryan.
