Former Naughty Dog Boss Evan Wells to Receive Highest Honour at DICE Awards

Naughty Dog veteran Evan Wells will be honored with induction into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) Hall of Fame at the upcoming D.I.C.E. Awards. The AIAS is a group of professionals working in the video game industry.

The award will be presented in Las Vegas on February 12th by Neil Druckmann, who currently leads the team at Naughty Dog.

Wells has spent more than 30 years working in the game industry, mostly at the studio we just discussed.

He started his career with classic games like ToeJam & Earl, GEX, and Gex: Enter the Gecko. This experience led to a lead designer position at Naughty Dog, where he worked on the popular Crash and Jak and Daxter franchises.

He rapidly rose to the position of co-president, where he led the creation of the popular Uncharted and The Last of Us game series, before retiring in 2023.

Evan Wells’ strong leadership and belief in his team at Naughty Dog were key to creating some amazing and influential games, according to Neil Druckmann. Druckmann expressed that many in the industry share his congratulations on Wells’ deserved induction into the Hall of Fame, calling it a great honor to present the award.

AIAS president Meggan Scavio shared similar sentiments:

We’re delighted to honor Evan Wells for his outstanding leadership and lasting contributions to the video game world. During his time at Naughty Dog, Evan consistently demonstrated strong vision, high ethical standards, and a true passion for game development. He’s dedicated to helping talented people grow and constantly pushing the limits of what’s possible, influencing countless developers and entertaining players globally. We’re proud to celebrate his incredible career at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

The AIAS Hall of Fame boasts a remarkable group of creators, including industry legends like Hideo Kojima, Ted Price, Shigeru Miyamoto, Tim Schafer, Ed Boon, Connie Booth, and Mark Cerny, among many others.

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2026-01-07 14:06