Crystal Dynamics Adds Veterans From Naughty Dog, EA, Monolith, And More For The Avengers Project

Square Enix subsidiary Crystal Dynamics, best known as the developers of Tomb Raider, is working on The Avengers Project and they’re recruiting a dream team of their own with veterans from Naughty Dog, Visceral Games, Monolith, Sledgehammer Games, and more.

Crystal Dynamics announced today that the studio has added 15 top industry talent into the development team in January. New staff includes former Naughty Dog Creative Director Shaun Escayg, who worked as the Creative Director and writer of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, will take on the role of Creative Director for The Avengers Project. He was also the Director of Photography and Animation Supervisor that led the cinematics team for The Last of Us.

Here’s a quote from Shaun Escayg:

“I’m thrilled to join Crystal as Creative Director and be aligned with a team as passionate about telling great character based stories as I am.”

EA and Visceral Games Veteran Stephen Barry will take on the role of Director. Previously, he’s held multiple positions at Electronic Arts and formerly the Director of Product Development at Visceral Games, where he worked on titles such as the Dead Space franchise.

Here’s a quote from Stephen Barry:

“Crystal’s been around almost as long as I’ve been in the business. The immediate chemistry and camaraderie has been exactly what I’d hoped for.”

Crystal Dynamics’ Co-Head of Studio Scot Amos shared:

“We’re committed to delivering an incredible, completely original Avengers experience to our gamers, and that means we are always looking to add amazing developers to our existing best in class studio talent. As development progresses, our studio continues to grow. The tremendous progress we’ve made on The Avengers project further drives us toward our goal of crafting something all Marvel fans will be proud of, and will play for years to come. We can’t wait to show you what we mean in the future.”

And lastly, a quote from Crystal Dynamics Co-Head of Studio Ron Rosenberg:

“We recently hired fifteen world-renowned industry veterans, spanning production leadership, animation, design, art and engineering, who have previously worked on games such as Batman: Arkham Origins, Dead Space, Star Wars: Battlefront and many more. Their AAA experience adds to an already deep roster, making us well-positioned to deliver on the ambitious goals we’ve set for ourselves with The Avengers project. It’s a stellar addition of many people who fit incredibly well into our wheelhouse of building game experiences we all love.”

The Avengers Project is expected to be revealed in 2018.