Naughty Dog is one of the most beloved developers in gaming, with nearly all of their games since the mid-nineties receiving critical acclaim. Bruce Straley has been an employee of the company for 18 years and in that time climbed his way up the ranks from Artist to Game Director. He has worked on some of the most influential games in modern history, including the Uncharted series and The Last of Us. Today (September 13), he announced his retirement from Naughty Dog.

In an announcement on Naughty Dog’s website, Straley posted his announcement. It’s clear that he is leaving the company on good terms as he describes his time there as “18 of the most influential years of my career” and goes on to thank several of Naughty Dog’s current members. Straley started working at Naughty Dog in 1999 as an Artist for Crash Team Racing. Since then, he has worked on several Jak and Daxter games, eventually getting promoted to Co-Art Director for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. A couple of years later, Straley worked as the Game Director for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and then went on to also direct The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. After the announcement of The Last of Us Part II late last year, Straley stated that he would be taking some time off and therefore won’t return as Game Director for the sequel. In the recent statement, Straley explains that this time off was part of what led him to start “focusing in other directions,” ultimately leading him to his decision to leave Naughty Dog.

Straley ends his statement by thanking his fans and expressing excitement at being able to experience future Naughty Dog titles as a fan himself. He also states that he does not have an announcement about any future projects he will be working on at this time.