Uncharted lead Lemarchand exits Naughty Dog to become more like Indiana Jones

[Blacksite]

Uncharted series lead Richard Lemarchand has apparently had enough with crafting an Indiana Jones-esque protagonist, and is now taking steps toward becoming that hero himself. Speaking with Gamasutra, Lemarchand said he's leaving his current job (of eight years) at Naughty Dog – creators of Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted, and The Last of Us – in order to take on new challenges at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.

"In other words, I'll be surrounded by awesome people, talking craft and philosophy, and building strange new things," Lemarchand said of his new role as professor at the Interactive Media Division at UC. "It seems like a natural transition point," he added. "I was involved with the development of the Uncharted series not quite from the beginning, but almost ... and even though the Uncharted series isn't intended to be viewed as a trilogy, maybe there's something about the number three that felt ... there is a certain amount of completeness for me."

But when will the next transition happen, from daring professor to daring professor slash extreme archaeologist? Sooner than we imagined, it seems. Lemarchand's first order of business is a three-month backpacking excursion that'll take him around the globe. After that, he'll begin work on a "series of experiment games," aimed at exploring "procedural narrative," among other things. After that, we're hoping he takes on the Nazis in their own zeppelin.

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Looking forward to whatever games he'll come up with when he returns.

[Scrubs42]

Best title ever...

"and even though the Uncharted series isn't intended to be viewed as a trilogy, maybe there's something about the number three that felt ... there is a certain amount of completeness for me."

Indiana Jones 4 was a let down... does this mean uncharted 4 is going to be too and he abandoned shipped after seeing the first proposal? :P

But no I think that's great having been involved in the business a long time at top tier that he is going to go lecture students and teach them his professional craft. Imagine having that as a lecturer. Quite a few of mine are still working in the music industry however