adminEvan Wells will be inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame at the 29th annual DICE Awards, recognizing a career spanning more than three decades in the video game industry. The former Naughty Dog co-president is being honored for his creative leadership and contribution to influential games.
Evan Wells AIAS Hall of Fame recognition
The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) announced Wells as this year’s Hall of Fame recipient. The award recognizes game creators whose work has helped shape highly influential titles and advance entire genres. For readers following the games industry, the honor reflects both the creative work behind individual games and the leadership that supports long-running development teams.
AIAS president Meggan Scavio said Wells’ leadership, respect for game development, and support for talent had made a lasting impression on the industry. She also highlighted the influence his work has had on developers and players.
From early design work to Naughty Dog leadership
Wells began his career as a designer on ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. He later joined Crystal Dynamics, where he contributed to Gex and Gex: Enter the Gecko. These early roles established a foundation in game design before his move to Naughty Dog.
He joined Naughty Dog in 1998 and went on to serve as a lead designer and director on multiple PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games. His credits included Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped and Jak and Daxter. When reviewing a developer’s career, these roles help show how experience across different projects can lead to broader creative responsibilities.
In 2005, Wells became co-president of Naughty Dog alongside Stephen White. During his leadership, the studio worked on major franchises including Uncharted and The Last of Us. Wells announced his retirement in 2023 after 25 years at the studio.
Presentation at the DICE Awards
Naughty Dog studio head and head of creative Neil Druckmann is set to present Wells with the award. Druckmann credited Wells’ leadership and trust in the team as important factors in the studio’s ability to make memorable games. He also described the induction as recognition that colleagues across the industry would welcome.
The 29th annual DICE Awards is scheduled for February 16 at the Aria Resort in Las Vegas, alongside the conference. The announcement does not specify a year for the event date, so confirm the date and year against the official event schedule before publication.
Other AIAS Hall of Fame recipients
Previous recipients include Insomniac Games founder and former CEO Ted Price, composer Koji Kondo, Double Fine Productions studio head Tim Schafer, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon, and former PlayStation head of internal production Connie Booth. Their varied roles illustrate the range of creative and leadership contributions recognized by the Hall of Fame.
Wells’ induction adds a long-serving studio leader and game designer to that group. The recognition highlights a career that moved from hands-on design and direction to guiding a major studio and its development teams.
