Bruce Straley
{{short description|American video game designer}}
{{good article}}
{{use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Bruce Straley
| image = Bruce Straley, 2016.jpg
| alt = A man with short brown hair, smirking at the camera.
| caption = Straley in 2016
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| occupation = {{hlist|Game director|artist|designer}}
| employer = {{indented plainlist|
- Western Technologies (1992–1993)
- Pacific Softscape (1993–1995)
- Crystal Dynamics (1996–1999)
- Naughty Dog (1999–2017)
- Wildflower Interactive (2021–present)}}
| notable_works = {{hlist|Uncharted|The Last of Us}}
| nationality = American
| spouse =
| children =
| alma_mater =
| signature = Bruce Straley signature.svg
}}
Bruce Straley is an American game director, artist, designer, and studio director. He previously worked for the video game developer Naughty Dog, known for his work on the video games The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Straley's first video game work was as an artist at Western Technologies Inc, where he worked on the Menacer six-game cartridge (1992){{efn|name="Menacer"}} and X-Men (1993). He formed a company, Pacific Softscape, working as a designer on Generations Lost (1994). After the company disbanded, Straley was hired at Crystal Dynamics, working as a designer on Gex: Enter the Gecko (1998) and as game director for Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko (1999); he left the company during development of the latter.
Straley was hired at Naughty Dog in 1999, working as an artist on Crash Team Racing (1999) and the Jak and Daxter series (2001–2004). He became co-art director on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007), and was promoted to game director of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009). He was later chosen to lead development on The Last of Us (2013) as game director, a role he continued during the development of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016). Straley has received praise for his work. In particular, his work on The Last of Us was highly praised, and the game received several awards and nominations. He departed Naughty Dog in September 2017, and started his own studio, Wildflower Interactive, in March 2021.
Career
Bruce Straley grew up near Tampa, Florida.{{rp|at=12:04}}{{rp|at=6:02}} He felt pressure from his mother to attend school after his brother and sister dropped out; since he felt that drawing was his only talent, he attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and received a degree in advertising design.{{rp|at=10:49}}{{rp|at=5:58}} When Straley heard about California from his friend, he decided to move to Los Angeles. After struggling to find a job in advertising, he applied for an art design position at Western Technologies Inc.{{rp|at=13:30}} At the job interview the following day, a programmer showed him footage from Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and asked if he could make similar art; he said he could, and was offered the job by the end of the day.{{rp|at=15:00}} He worked on a video game about Robosaurus for some time, though it was eventually canceled.{{rp|at=17:21}}
Straley worked on two more games at Western Technologies Inc: the Menacer six-game cartridge in 1992,{{efn|name="Menacer"}} and X-Men in 1993. Following this, he formed a company, Pacific Softscape, with some ex-employees at Western Technologies. There, he worked as designer on Generations Lost in 1994.{{rp|at=21:30}} He felt too inexperienced to run a company, and did not get along with some of his coworkers, so the company disbanded in 1995.{{rp|at=25:20}}{{rp|at=28:49}} He left the industry for a short time, traveling to Europe, before moving to San Francisco in 1996 and receiving a job at Crystal Dynamics through a friend.{{rp|at=26:13}}{{rp|at=28:55}} There, Straley worked alongside several future Naughty Dog employees, including Amy Hennig, who later became creative director of the Uncharted series, Evan Wells, who later became co-president of Naughty Dog, and Danny Chan, who later worked as a lead programmer on Crash Team Racing.{{rp|at=42:06}}
Straley worked as designer on Gex: Enter the Gecko (1998), and was promoted to game director for Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko (1999). Around this time, some of his coworkers, including Wells and Chan, had moved to Naughty Dog in Santa Monica, California; Straley, unhappy with the development of Gex 3 and missing his friends, followed them and met Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin.{{rp|at=42:06}} Having left during development, Straley was credited for "additional art" on Gex 3. In March 1999, Straley was employed at Naughty Dog; he was the fifteenth employee.
At Naughty Dog, Straley worked as an artist on Crash Team Racing in 1999. Although he was employed as a texture artist, the small size of the team resulted in Straley performing various jobs, including design, background modeling and foreground animating, among others. As the size of the studio grew, the tasks became more specific. Straley acted as artist on Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001), Jak II (2003), and Jak 3 (2004). Straley is credited with creating the technology that managed the appearance of the Jak and Daxter series, and having the knowledge to understand the technical and artistic features, bridging the communication gap between the two departments. For Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007), Straley was appointed the role of co-art director, alongside Bob Rafei, which involved advancing the team's technology from the PlayStation 2 to the PlayStation 3. He was then given the role of game director for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which was released in 2009.
File:Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann, PAX Prime 2014.jpg (right) on The Last of Us, The Last of Us: Left Behind, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.|alt=A man with short brown hair, sitting next to a man with curly black hair hugging a plush giraffe, both smiling at something to the right of the camera.]]
Following the development of Uncharted 2, Naughty Dog split into two teams to work on projects concurrently. With one team working on Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011), co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra chose Straley and Neil Druckmann to lead development on a new game; Straley was selected to lead the project, as game director, based on his experience and his work on previous projects. Though they were originally set to develop a new game in the Jak and Daxter series, the team felt that they "weren't doing service to the fans of [the] franchise", and decided to create a new game, titled The Last of Us.
Straley and Druckmann had previously worked together on Uncharted 2, and found that they shared similar interests. During the development of The Last of Us, Straley and Druckmann often joked that their relationship was "like a marriage", in which they have many differing ideas, but ultimately wish to achieve the same goal. Straley's role in developing The Last of Us was to handle gameplay. In the final weeks of development, Straley undertook roles from different departments that were busy with other tasks; for example, he was seen hand-arranging the texts on the game's training screens, a task that lead artist Nate Wells found unusual. Wells said: "I have never even heard of a game director doing that! That's like... an intern task."
At the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012, Straley showcased a gameplay demonstration of The Last of Us at Sony's press conference; his stance on the stage became an Internet meme, and was referred to as "The Bruce". The game was released on June 14, 2013, to critical acclaim. For his work on the game, Straley and Druckmann were nominated for Best Director from The Daily Telegraph; it was ultimately awarded to Davey Wreden for his work on The Stanley Parable (2013). Straley later continued his role as game director for The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014), a downloadable content and expansion pack for the 2013 game.
Following Hennig's departure from Naughty Dog in March 2014, it was announced that Straley and Druckmann were working on Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016) as game director and creative director, respectively. Initial reports claimed that Hennig was "forced out" of Naughty Dog by Straley and Druckmann, though Wells and Balestra later denied this. Straley presented gameplay demonstrations of Uncharted 4 at the PlayStation Experience in December 2014, and at the E3 2015 in June. The game was released on May 10, 2016, to critical acclaim. For his work on the game, Straley won Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project at the 15th Visual Effects Society Awards, alongside visual effects artists Eben Cook and Iki Ikram.
Straley took a break from development after the release of Uncharted 4; he did not return to direct The Last of Us Part II. On September 13, 2017, Straley announced his departure from Naughty Dog, stating that he "found [his] energy focusing in other directions" following his break. His decision to leave was also partly due to burnout; his relationship with Naughty Dog and Sony became strained. Following the lack of credit to Straley in the television series The Last of Us in 2023, he considered the support for unionization in the video game industry, saying it may be necessary "to protect creators".
Straley worked as a story consultant on Chained: A Victorian Nightmare (2018), a virtual reality theater experience. He was awarded the Vanguard Award at the Fun & Serious Game Festival in December 2019. After leaving the industry in 2017, Straley was unsure if he wanted to continue making games; however, after thinking more about the medium, an "idea kept following [him]". He and some friends began prototyping, and eventually decided to create a studio, Wildflower Interactive, founded on March 11, 2021, and announced in July 2022. As studio director, Straley wants the studio to be "inclusive, equitable, and collaborative". It is operating in a fully remote work environment.
Works
= Video games =
= Literature =
= Film and television =
Awards and nominations
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/features/the-last-of-us |title=The Last of Us – The Best Film Of The Year (That Wasn't Actually A Film) |work=Empire |publisher=Bauer Media Group |date=December 18, 2013 |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401193659/http://www.empireonline.com/features/the-last-of-us |archive-date=April 1, 2015 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.naughtydog.com/crash/crash/timeline.htm |title=Crash Bandicoot – Time Line |author=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080729045219/http://www.naughtydog.com/crash/crash/timeline.htm |archive-date=July 29, 2008 }}
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2013/02/25/something-in-the-water-crystal-dynamics-in-the-90s.aspx?PostPageIndex=7 |title=Something In The Water: Crystal Dynamics In The '90s |page=7 |last=Helgeson |first=Matt |magazine=Game Informer |publisher=GameStop |date=February 25, 2013 |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818012918/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2013/02/25/something-in-the-water-crystal-dynamics-in-the-90s.aspx?PostPageIndex=7 |archive-date=August 18, 2015 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-09-13-naughty-dogs-bruce-straley-leaves-the-studio |title=Naughty Dog's Bruce Straley leaves the studio |last=Brightman |first=James |work=GamesIndustry.biz |publisher=Gamer Network |date=September 13, 2017 |access-date=September 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913214348/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-09-13-naughty-dogs-bruce-straley-leaves-the-studio |archive-date=September 13, 2017 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-the-last-of-us-i-bruce-straley-wants-more-game-industry-unions |title=The Last of Us' Bruce Straley wants more game industry unions |last=Carter |first=Justin |work=Game Developer |publisher=Informa |date=January 19, 2023 |accessdate=January 21, 2023 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119210802/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-the-last-of-us-i-bruce-straley-wants-more-game-industry-unions |archivedate=January 19, 2023 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |url=https://www.gamereactor.eu/bruce-straley-keeps-his-future-paths-very-secretive/ |title=Bruce Straley keeps his future paths very secretive |last=Lagioia |first=Gianfranco |work=Gamereactor |publisher=Gamez Publishing A/S |date=December 9, 2019 |access-date=May 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209232730/https://www.gamereactor.eu/bruce-straley-keeps-his-future-paths-very-secretive/ |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web|url=https://ign.com/articles/2014/03/05/uncharted-ps4-writer-amy-hennig-leaves-naughty-dog |title=Uncharted PS4 Writer Amy Hennig Leaves Naughty Dog |last=Dyer |first=Mitch |work=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506105126/http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/05/uncharted-ps4-writer-amy-hennig-leaves-naughty-dog |archive-date=May 6, 2015 |url-status=live }}
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/02/24/expanding-the-house-naughty-dog-39-s-second-team.aspx |title=Expanding The House: Naughty Dog's Second Team |last=Turi |first=Tim |magazine=Game Informer |publisher=GameStop |date=February 24, 2012 |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331072026/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/02/24/expanding-the-house-naughty-dog-39-s-second-team.aspx |archive-date=March 31, 2015 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/naughty-dog-reveals-how-axed-jack-and-daxter-reboot-led-to-the-last-of-us/1100-6415331/ |title=Naughty Dog reveals how axed Jack and Daxter reboot led to The Last of Us |last=Gaston |first=Martin |work=GameSpot |publisher=CBS Interactive |date=October 4, 2013 |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101053741/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/naughty-dog-reveals-how-axed-jack-and-daxter-reboot-led-to-the-last-of-us/1100-6415331/ |archive-date=November 1, 2014 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-01-15/the-last-of-us-hbo-tv-show-video-game-history-neil-druckmann |title=How 'The Last of Us' changed gaming, strained relationships and spawned an empire |last=Martens |first=Todd |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 15, 2023 |accessdate=January 19, 2023 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115160458/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-01-15/the-last-of-us-hbo-tv-show-video-game-history-neil-druckmann |archivedate=January 15, 2023 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-02-10/tom-holland-uncharted-naughty-dog-film-and-tv-invasion |title=Why Tom Holland in 'Uncharted' signals a generational shift in gaming's Hollywood incursion |last=Martens |first=Todd |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 10, 2022 |accessdate=February 11, 2022 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210133621/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-02-10/tom-holland-uncharted-naughty-dog-film-and-tv-invasion |archivedate=February 10, 2022 |url-status=live }}
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/02/22/the-past-present-and-future-of-naughty-dog-an-interview-with-the-co-presidents.aspx |title=New Tricks: An Interview With Naughty Dog's Co-Presidents |last=Hansen |first=Ben |magazine=Game Informer |publisher=GameStop |date=February 22, 2012 |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331072023/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/02/22/the-past-present-and-future-of-naughty-dog-an-interview-with-the-co-presidents.aspx |archive-date=March 31, 2015 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.naughtydog.com/site/post/the_last_of_us_presents_the_bruce/ |title=The Last of Us presents The Bruce |last=Paul |first=Jason |publisher=Naughty Dog. Sony Computer Entertainment |date=June 12, 2012 |access-date=July 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706181358/http://www.naughtydog.com/site/post/the_last_of_us_presents_the_bruce/ |archive-date=July 6, 2015 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-2-bruce-straley-not-returning-to-di/1100-6445961/ |title=The Last of Us 2: Bruce Straley Not Returning to Direct |last=Makuch |first=Eddie |work=GameSpot |publisher=CBS Interactive |date=December 4, 2016 |access-date=December 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20161211170055/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-2-bruce-straley-not-returning-to-di/1100-6445961/ |archive-date=December 11, 2016 |url-status=live }}
{{cite news |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/410928/the-last-of-us-review-round-up-easily-naughty-dogs-finest-moment |title=The Last of Us review round-up: 'Easily Naughty Dog's finest moment' |last=Hussain |first=Tamoor |work=Computer and Video Games |publisher=Future plc |date=June 5, 2013 |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130608062740/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/410928/the-last-of-us-review-round-up-easily-naughty-dogs-finest-moment |archive-date=June 8, 2013 }}
{{cite podcast |url=https://www.idlethumbs.net/tonecontrol/episodes/bruce-straley/ |title=Bruce Straley |website=Tone Control |number=22 |publisher=Idle Thumbs |last1=Gaynor |first1=Steve |last2=Straley |first2=Bruce |date=March 15, 2018 |access-date=March 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109012024/https://www.idlethumbs.net/tonecontrol/episodes/bruce-straley/ |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/20/8817971/uncharted-4-e3-demo-blooper-snafu-gaffe |title=Why Uncharted 4's action-packed demo began with 30 seconds of standing around |last=Good |first=Owen S. |work=Polygon |publisher=Vox Media |date=June 20, 2015 |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707153700/http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/20/8817971/uncharted-4-e3-demo-blooper-snafu-gaffe |archive-date=July 7, 2015 |url-status=live }}
{{cite news|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138923-Uncharted-4-A-Thiefs-End-PlayStation-Experience-Demo |title=Uncharted 4: A Thief's End PlayStation Experience Demo |last=LeBoeuf |first=Sarah |work=The Escapist |publisher=Defy Media |date=December 7, 2014 |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706175722/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138923-Uncharted-4-A-Thiefs-End-PlayStation-Experience-Demo |archive-date=July 6, 2015 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-4-review-roundup/1100-6439508/ |title=Uncharted 4 Review Roundup |last=Hussain |first=Tamoor |work=GameSpot |publisher=CBS Interactive |date=May 5, 2016 |access-date=July 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507222059/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-4-review-roundup/1100-6439508/ |archive-date=May 7, 2016 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/former-uncharted-and-last-of-us-director-bruce-straley-has-announced-a-new-studio/ |title=Former Uncharted and Last of Us director Bruce Straley has announced a new studio |last=Ivan |first=Tom |work=Video Games Chronicle |publisher=Gamer Network |date=July 20, 2022 |accessdate=July 21, 2022 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721000334/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/former-uncharted-and-last-of-us-director-bruce-straley-has-announced-a-new-studio/ |archivedate=July 21, 2022 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web|url=http://gamasutra.com/view/news/196409/The_Last_of_Us_art_director_talks_egoless_game_development.php |title=The Last of Us art director talks ego-less game development |last=Ligman |first=Kris |work=Gamasutra |publisher=UBM plc |date=July 16, 2013 |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206050244/http://gamasutra.com/view/news/196409/The_Last_of_Us_art_director_talks_egoless_game_development.php |archive-date=December 6, 2014 |url-status=dead }}
}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|3656507}}
{{Naughty Dog}}
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Category:American video game designers
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:American video game directors