Former Naughty Dog president Evan Wells has been selected as the latest inductee into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) Hall of Fame. His induction will take place during the 29th annual D.I.C.E. Awards on February 12.
A 30+ year veteran of the video game industry, Wells began his career as a designer on ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. He later moved to Crystal Dynamics to work as a programmer on Gex and then as lead designer on Gex: Enter the Gecko.
Wells joined Naughty Dog in 1998 and worked as a lead designer and director on titles such as Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Crash Team Racing, and the Jak and Daxter trilogy. Wells would ascend to becoming co-president of Naughty Dog in 2004, helping guide the studio as it developed its critically acclaimed Uncharted and The Last of Us franchises. Wells became the studio’s sole president in 2017. Additionally, Wells served as an executive producer for both franchises’ on-screen adaptations: the 2022 film Uncharted and HBO’s The Last of Us TV series.
In 2020, The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann was promoted to co-president of Naughty Dog to run the studio alongside Wells. This dual leadership lasted until Wells retired from Naughty Dog in 2023.
“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,” said Neil Druckmann, Naughty Dog studio head & head of creative, in a press release. “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.”
Previous inductees into the AIAS Hall of Fame include Ted Price (2025), Koji Kondo (2024), Tim Schafer (2022), Ed Boon (2021), Connie Booth (2020), Bonnie Ross (2019), Todd Howard (2017), Hideo Kojima (2016), Leslie Benzies (2014), Dan and Sam Houser (2014), and Tim Sweeney (2012). The D.I.C.E. Awards will be held at the Aria Resort in Las Vegas.
We spoke to Evan Wells and Neil Druckmann in 2021 about Naughty Dog’s history, which you can read here.
