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Nate Wells leaves Irrational Games for Naughty Dog

David Hinkle — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:40:00 EST

BioShock Infinite art director Nate Wells just left Irrational Games, and today he's revealed it's for a new gig at Santa Monica-based Naughty Dog. Wells announced the news on Twitter earlier today, though didn't say much more beyond that - it's unknown whether or not he'll have any hand in Naughty Dog's next game, The Last of Us.

Wells was one of three high-profile vacancies at Irrational Games last week, which was soon followed by one high-profile hire: Epic Games alumnus Rod Fergusson. In a follow-up piece, Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine commented on Wells' departure and BioShock Infinite's new art director, Scott Sinclair.

Nate Wells leaves Irrational Games for Naughty Dog originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Levine: 'I'm not going to stop people' from leaving Irrational

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:30:00 EST

Art director Nate Wells worked at Irrational Games for 13 years, beginning in September 1999 and the company's System Shock 2 days. Yesterday we discovered Wells and a handful of other people working on BioShock Infinite were no longer with Irrational, and Wells' Twitter briefly teased a job change before being deleted. While the bulk of people leaving Irrational can be chalked up to industry turnover, Wells' departure stands out for the public and Irrational Games founder Ken Levine.

"In a company of 200 people you're going to have turnover," Levine tells Kotaku. "We never like to see a guy like Nate leave because he's been here for a long time, but it's been 13 years and I think sometimes people want to spread their wings. I'm not going to stop people. We love Nate and I think we all remain friends. After 13 years he sort of finished his work on BioShock Infinite, as you will be able to tell when you see the game again... I think Nate's moving on to something else."

Replacing Wells is Scott Sinclair, the art director for the first BioShock. This rounds out the core BioShock team that has stuck with the franchise - which is an achievement all on its own, Levine says:

"As far as the team itself, the lead artist, the art director, the creative director, the lead effects artist, the senior sound guy, the lead programer and the lead AI programmer from BioShock 1 are all on BioShock Infinite. I don't think there's a single senior BioShock team member that isn't here, which I think is amazing and a testament to their commitment to the studio."

Levine: 'I'm not going to stop people' from leaving Irrational originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An Irrational fear of monsters

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST

"A good monster is a monster you can imagine in repose."

That was the advice acclaimed horror writer and director Guillermo del Toro gave Ken Levine, the creator of the BioShock franchise, during a conversation on the Irrational Games podcast. Levine takes those words to heart in his own creative direction, and before building any terrifying monsters, he makes sure Irrational develops a rich, empathetic backstory that places each of the deformed, viciously homicidal creatures in routine settings, where they perform the most base of actions: contributing to society, petting a dog, relaxing, mourning.

Four Irrational members - Levine, art director Nate Wells, lead artist Shawn Robertson, and sound man Pat Balthrop - gave the PAX audience a glimpse into the secret lives and creation of five major BioShock Infinite villains: the Motorized Patriot, Handyman, Siren, Boys of Silence and Songbird.

Continue reading An Irrational fear of monsters

An Irrational fear of monsters originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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