<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Druckmann</span>

Neil Druckmann

<p><b>Neil Druckmann</b> (<a href="/en/Hebrew_language" title="Hebrew language" class="wl">Hebrew</a><span>: </span><span dir="rtl">ניל דרוקמן</span>; born December 5, 1978) is an Israeli-American writer, creative director, designer, and programmer who has been co-president (alongside <a href="/en/Evan_Wells" title="Evan Wells" class="wl">Evan Wells</a>) of the video game developer <a href="/en/Naughty_Dog" title="Naughty Dog" class="wl">Naughty Dog</a> since 2020. He is best known for his work on the Naughty Dog game franchises <i><a href="/en/Uncharted" title="Uncharted" class="wl">Uncharted</a></i> and <i><a href="/en/The_Last_of_Us_(franchise)" title="The Last of Us (franchise)" class="wl">The Last of Us</a></i>, having co-created the latter.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">American video game designer (born 1978)</div>
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<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Neil Druckmann, Born, Alma&nbsp;mater, Occupa...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox biography vcard mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above" style="font-size:125%;"><div class="fn" style="display:inline">Neil Druckmann</div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="mw-default-size"><a href="/en/File:Neil_Druckmann,_MovieZine_interview_(cropped).png" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Neil_Druckmann,_MovieZine_interview_(cropped).png"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Neil_Druckmann%2C_MovieZine_interview_%28cropped%29.png/220px-Neil_Druckmann%2C_MovieZine_interview_%28cropped%29.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="452" data-file-height="646" data-file-type="bitmap" height="314" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Neil_Druckmann%2C_MovieZine_interview_%28cropped%29.png/330px-Neil_Druckmann%2C_MovieZine_interview_%28cropped%29.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Neil_Druckmann%2C_MovieZine_interview_%28cropped%29.png/440px-Neil_Druckmann%2C_MovieZine_interview_%28cropped%29.png 2x" alt="Neil_Druckmann%2C_MovieZine_interview_%28cropped%29.png"></a></span><div class="infobox-caption">Druckmann in December 2022</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Born</th><td class="infobox-data"><span style="display:none"> (<span class="bday">1978-12-05</span>) </span>December 5, 1978<span class="noprint ForceAgeToShow"> (age<span>&nbsp;</span>44)</span><br><div style="display:inline" class="birthplace"><a href="/en/Tel_Aviv" title="Tel Aviv" class="wl">Tel Aviv</a>, Israel</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Alma<span>&nbsp;</span>mater</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Carnegie_Mellon_University" title="Carnegie Mellon University" class="wl">Carnegie Mellon University</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Occupations</th><td class="infobox-data role"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist 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dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}</style><div class="hlist"><ul><li>Writer</li><li>creative director</li><li>designer</li><li>programmer</li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Years<span>&nbsp;</span>active</th><td class="infobox-data">2004–present</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Employer</th><td class="infobox-data org"><a href="/en/Naughty_Dog" title="Naughty Dog" class="wl">Naughty Dog</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><span style="white-space:nowrap;">Notable work</span></th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><i><a href="/en/Uncharted" title="Uncharted" class="wl">Uncharted</a></i></li><li><i><a href="/en/The_Last_of_Us_(franchise)" title="The Last of Us (franchise)" class="wl">The Last of Us</a></i></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Title</th><td class="infobox-data title">Co-president</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Signature</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><span><a href="/en/File:Neil_Druckmann_signature.svg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Neil_Druckmann_signature.svg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Neil_Druckmann_signature.svg/150px-Neil_Druckmann_signature.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="1400" data-file-height="800" data-file-type="drawing" height="86" width="150" 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<p>Druckmann's first video game work came as an intern at Naughty Dog. In 2004, he became a programmer on <i><a href="/en/Jak_3" title="Jak 3" class="wl">Jak 3</a></i> (2004) and <i><a href="/en/Jak_X:_Combat_Racing" title="Jak X: Combat Racing" class="wl">Jak X: Combat Racing</a></i> (2005), before becoming a designer for <i><a href="/en/Uncharted:_Drake's_Fortune" title="Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" class="wl">Uncharted: Drake's Fortune</a></i> (2007). He was co-lead game designer for <i><a href="/en/Uncharted_2:_Among_Thieves" title="Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" class="wl">Uncharted 2: Among Thieves</a></i> (2009), which he co-wrote with <a href="/en/Amy_Hennig" title="Amy Hennig" class="wl">Amy Hennig</a> and <a href="/en/Josh_Scherr" title="Josh Scherr" class="wl">Josh Scherr</a>; the narrative was praised and received several accolades. He has also written comics, including the motion comic <i><a href="/en/Uncharted:_Eye_of_Indra" title="Uncharted: Eye of Indra" class="mw-redirect wl">Uncharted: Eye of Indra</a></i> (2009) and the graphic novels <i><a href="/en/A_Second_Chance_at_Sarah" title="A Second Chance at Sarah" class="wl">A Second Chance at Sarah</a></i> (2010) and <i><a href="/en/The_Last_of_Us:_American_Dreams" title="The Last of Us: American Dreams" class="wl">The Last of Us: American Dreams</a></i> (2013).</p>

<p>Druckmann led <a href="/en/Development_of_The_Last_of_Us" title="Development of The Last of Us" class="wl">the development</a> of <i><a href="/en/The_Last_of_Us" title="The Last of Us" class="wl">The Last of Us</a></i> (2013) as writer and creative director, roles he continued for <i><a href="/en/The_Last_of_Us:_Left_Behind" title="The Last of Us: Left Behind" class="wl">The Last of Us: Left Behind</a></i> (2014) and <i><a href="/en/Uncharted_4:_A_Thief's_End" title="Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" class="wl">Uncharted 4: A Thief's End</a></i> (2016), co-writing the latter with Scherr. All three games were directed by <a href="/en/Bruce_Straley" title="Bruce Straley" class="wl">Bruce Straley</a>, with whom Druckmann developed a close working relationship. Druckmann and <a href="/en/Craig_Mazin" title="Craig Mazin" class="wl">Craig Mazin</a> are the creators, writers, and executive producers for the <a href="/en/The_Last_of_Us_(TV_series)" title="The Last of Us (TV series)" class="wl">television adaptation of <i>The Last of Us</i></a>, for which Druckmann directed <a href="/en/Infected_(The_Last_of_Us)" title="Infected (The Last of Us)" class="wl">the second episode</a>.</p>

<p>Druckmann was promoted to vice president of Naughty Dog in 2018 during <a href="/en/Development_of_The_Last_of_Us_Part_II" title="Development of The Last of Us Part II" class="wl">the development</a> of <i><a href="/en/The_Last_of_Us_Part_II" title="The Last of Us Part II" class="wl">The Last of Us Part II</a></i> (2020), for which he was creative director and co-writer with <a href="/en/Halley_Gross" title="Halley Gross" class="wl">Halley Gross</a>, and was promoted to co-president in 2020. He has earned praise for his writing and directing work on <i>The Last of Us</i>, <i>Uncharted 4</i>, and <i>The Last of Us Part II</i>. The games are often regarded as among the best written and have been listed as some of the <a href="/en/Greatest_video_games_ever_made" title="Greatest video games ever made" class="mw-redirect wl">greatest video games ever made</a>. Druckmann has received several awards, including three <a href="/en/British_Academy_Games_Awards" title="British Academy Games Awards" class="wl">British Academy Games Awards</a>, four <a href="/en/D.I.C.E._Awards" title="D.I.C.E. Awards" class="wl">D.I.C.E. Awards</a>, two <a href="/en/Game_Awards" title="Game Awards" class="mw-redirect wl">Game Awards</a>, three <a href="/en/Game_Developers_Choice_Awards" title="Game Developers Choice Awards" class="wl">Game Developers Choice Awards</a>, and four <a href="/en/Writers_Guild_of_America_Awards" title="Writers Guild of America Awards" class="wl">Writers Guild of America Awards</a>.</p>



Neil Druckmann is an Israeli-American writer, creative director, designer, and programmer who has been co-president of the video game developer Naughty Dog since 2020. He is best known for his work on the Naughty Dog game franchises Uncharted and The Last of Us, having co-created the latter. Druckmann's first video game work came as an intern at Naughty Dog. In 2004, he became a programmer on Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing , before becoming a designer for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune . He was co-lead game designer for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves , which he co-wrote with Amy Hennig and Josh Scherr; the narrative was praised and received several accolades. He has also written comics, including the motion comic Uncharted: Eye of Indra and the graphic novels A Second Chance at Sarah and The Last of Us: American Dreams . 