Evan Wells, an industry veteran and pillar of the Naughty Dog brand, is slated to be inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame at this year’s at this year’s D.I.C.E. Awards. The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences announced the impending induction via a press release on January 7th, 2025.
Evan Wells began his career in the ’90s at Sega. During his time there, he worked on the ToeJam & Earl series. He later moved to Crystal Dynamics, where he worked on the Gex series as the lead designer on Gex: Enter the Gecko.
Evan Wells’ History at Naughty Dog
Then, he joined Naughty Dog in 1998 and spent most of his career there, working on games in the Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter series. He would become co-president of Naughty Dog in 2004 and ultimately retired in 2023 after overseeing the success of franchises such as Uncharted and The Last of Us. He would retire in 2023.
He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame by the studio’s current head, Neil Druckmann. In a press release, Druckmann praised Evans’ leadership and the trust he placed in the team.
“Naughty Dog was able to create some truly incredible games and leave a lasting mark on the industry because of Evan’s unwavering leadership and the trust he placed in all of us. I know I speak for many across the industry when I congratulate Evan on this well-deserved recognition. It’s a profound honor to present him with this Hall of Fame induction.”
Past AIAS Hall of Fame inductees include Hideo Kojima, Ed Boon, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Todd Howard. Insider Gaming will be in attendance at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards on Thursday, February 12, in Las Vegas.
In more recent Naughty Dog news, the studio has made overtime mandatory for the developers of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Learn more here. What are some of your memories of playing Naughty Dog games? Sound off in our official Discord server.
