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In an interview with Polygon, Bruce Straley, one of the most prominent names in Naughty Dog’s identity and the director of the Uncharted series, revealed the real reasons that led him to leave the studio after an 18-year career, emphasizing that the feeling of repetition and creative exhaustion was the deciding factor behind his decision.
When asked why he left, Straley explained that the length of his tenure at Naughty Dog made him feel like he was stuck in a vicious cycle:
“I was there for 18 years, which is a very long time for anyone, anywhere. I was instrumental in building the identity of the studio and these titles and it was an amazing experience but I felt like I was repeating the same answers over and over again.
He added that the studio had become trapped within a certain model of gaming that he himself was part of creating, which made him feel like his mind was no longer receiving enough stimulation.
Straley went on to explain that the repetition wasn’t just a passing feeling, it was directly affecting his creativity:
“My brain doesn’t deal well with that kind of repetition. I need new challenges and different creative spaces.
He also pointed to another equally important factor: the feeling of putting too much effort into projects he didn’t really own, despite the material and moral recognition he was receiving.
For Straley, the key question was a simple but crucial one:
Do you want to keep working for someone else and put all that effort into building a brand, characters, and a world that could turn into a series? Yes, I was getting paid well, but I felt it was time to go out and try it for myself.
He emphasized that he was willing to take the risk of failure as long as the experience stemmed from his own personal choice and not the result of working within an imposed framework.
After leaving Naughty Dog, Straley is currently working on his new project Coven of the Chicken Foot, which was officially revealed during The Game Awards 2025.
The game focuses on exploration and puzzle solving and revolves around an old witch and her companion, a woodland creature that lives in the forest, exploring the witch’s relationship with her cult and the evolution of the companion creature that learns and changes based on the player’s actions. The main goal of the project is to rethink how companion characters interact with the world and the player in a dynamic and unconventional way.
Straley’s decision was not an escape from success but a search for a deeper creative meaning and a desire to break the mold that he himself helped build, and with Coven of the Chicken Foot he seems to have started a new chapter based on risk, but also on complete freedom.
Coven of the Chicken Foot is currently in development for PC.
