Richard Lemarchand has announced his departure from developer Naughty Dog following an eight-year stint with the company.
Lemarchand has quit the acclaimed studio to join the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California to teach at the Interactive Media Division. This is the same division responsible for training thatgamecompany’s Jenova Chen and Kelle Santiago.
Speaking of his departure, Lemarchand commented: “I think the simplest answer is that it seems like a natural transition point.”
"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.”
"For about 10 years now, I’ve wanted to make a different kind of game, alongside my professional practice. I’ve always really loved working on the kinds of blockbuster AAA games that I’ve had the opportunity to work on, and I think I’ve been exceptionally lucky – it’s partly by luck and a little bit of judgment I’ve gotten to work on big games that are also, I think, real exemplars in terms of craft, and hopefully, ultimately, with some transcendent aspects to them."
"I’ve always loved the experimental and avant-garde. I wanted to try to make a game in that sphere for the best part of a decade, now,” he added.
Prior to joining Naughty Dog in June 2004, Lemarchand cut his teeth at Crystal Dynamics for nearly ten years, working on franchises such as Legacy of Kain and Gex. His first game with Naughty Dog was Jak X: Combat Racing in 2005, after which he then worked on all three Uncharted games for PlayStation 3.
PSU would like to wish Lemarchand all the best in his future endeavours.