Perhaps best known for his animation roles on titles such as Assassin’s Creed III and Mass Effect 2, gaming animator Jonathan Cooper has posted an update through his website, detailing the departure from Ubisoft Montreal into developer giants; Naughty Dog. Cooper’s new role sees him providing animation for the next Uncharted game – he speaks of his enthusiasm in regards to working on a game such as this, as follows:
“I look forward to channeling all that energy into an altogether more intimate story and cast of characters.”
Cooper then praises Naughty Dog and their accomplishments, specifically with The Last of Us:
“I’ve long held Naughty Dog up as a titan in video game animation, ultimately being won over by their game-changing work on The Last of Us. It’s no understatement to say, in my opinion, that that game has set a new standard for tone and characterisation in video games.”
With the recent departures from Naughty Dog, including game director Justin Richmond and series director Amy Hennig, it’s nice to see industry talent such as Cooper are joining the company’s workforce. Although not much is known of Nathan Drake’s next venture, it’s safe to say that the upcoming Uncharted will take place in Africa, specifically Madagascar and Île Sainte-Marie, as seen in the teaser trailer back in November 2013, which can be seen below.
