Andy Gavin: Video Game Creator

I started programming video games in 1980 and along with my partner, Jason Rubin, founded Naughty Dog, Inc. in 1985. We ran the company for almost twenty years and I designed/co-directed/produced the following games: Math Jam, Ski Crazed, Dream Zone, Keef the Thief, Rings of Power, Way of the Warrior, Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Crash Bandicoot: Warped!, Crash Team Racing, Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, and Jak 3. I was lead programmer (and sometimes sole programmer) on all of these games except for Crash Team Racing.

Overall, games I’ve been lead programmer on have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.

More detail about this and the rest of my life can be found in my bio.

I have all sorts of information on making video games (including mine) on the site. Some favorites are in the righthand sidebar and recent topics are below.

The sorted archive of historic video game posts is here or

Making Crash Bandicoot, How Do I Get a Job in Video Games, and WOW Endgame Analysis.

Or find out what I have in development right now!

The Last of Us (HBO) is Almost Here

January 14, 2023
0

Some quick — no spoilers — thoughts on the new HBO adaption of The Last of Us…

After the Con

August 31, 2020
0

Check out this online round table I participated in. Four of us fantasy authors and video game fans gabbing for an hour — but lots of fun.

War Stories: Crash Bandicoot

February 27, 2020
1

Ars Technica — the awesome technical website — put together an equally awesome video interview with me about the making of Crash Bandicoot as part of their War Stories series…

The Last of Us Part II – Release Date Reveal Trailer

September 24, 2019
0

The Last of Us part II has a release date and a new trailer…

The Last of Us II – E3 Gameplay

June 11, 2018
0

What would E3 be without some awesome new Naughty Dog game footage?

Blood & Guts

October 30, 2017
0

Halloween and today’s Sony announcements bring us more The Last of Us part II tease…

Crash Bandicoot Reunion

June 15, 2017
14

On stage at E3 with Jason Rubin, Bob Rafei, Mark Cerny, and Connie Booth to talk about the good old days of Crash Bandicoot development…

Naughty Dog News

December 3, 2016
4

Double Naughty Dog goodness today!

The Evolution of the Platform Game

August 18, 2016
13

A little video I made chronicling both the changing graphics and the consistencies in gameplay across 35+ years…

Dark Souls III vs. Bloodborne

June 13, 2016
0

Looking at the differences and similarities between From Software’s two brilliant PS4 titles…

Uncharted 4 – My Review

June 6, 2016
11

My thoughts on Naughty Dog’s most recent grand sweeping creation…

Witcher 3 – Middle Impressions

March 14, 2016
8

After an obsessive few weeks working my way through the gorgeous world of Witcher 3 I’m popping up for air to report my findings…

Bloodborne – Complete

February 12, 2016
2

I few weeks ago I wrote a short article on my initial impressions of Bloodborne, and I’ve come back to the subject now that I’ve defeated the game…

Bloodborne – Early Impressions

January 20, 2016
1

Action Roll Playing Games are my favorite, so I couldn’t resist another foray into the realm of dark difficulty and despair…

Warcraft Movie Trailer

November 7, 2015
2

Well the first “real” Warcraft Movie trailer is here…

20 Years of Playstation

September 16, 2015
12

In honor of the original PlayStation’s 20th Anniversary USA Today has posted a piece which features interviews with major participants, including yours truly…

Blizzard Bits

November 7, 2014
3

Blizzard announces a brand new franchise: Overwatch…

Diablo 3 – from Good to Great

October 6, 2014
11

After having been away from Diablo 3 for awhile, I come back and take a detailed look at how Blizzard’s changes have influenced the endgame and player motivation…

Warlords of Draenor Cinematic

August 14, 2014
2

Blizard released the Warlords (WOW expansion 5!) cinematic today!

Naughty Dog at E3

June 10, 2014
2

What would E3 be without a Naughty Dog trailer?

Golden Oldie – The Legend of Zelda

February 7, 2014
9

I revisit one of the seminal fantasy games of all time with my son, offering up not only my own review, but his too…

Hearthstone Beta Review

January 6, 2014
5

Blizzard takes on the “wizard duel” category of Trading Card game — virtually — with their usual polish and playability…

Naughty Dog News

December 8, 2013
12

There’s a bunch of Naughty Dog news in the air that I thought worth commenting on…

Pixelvolt Interview

September 25, 2013
22

I was asked by Pixelvolt to answer a few interview questions about my career. As usual, I’m posting the answers here too…

Crash Fan Fun

August 7, 2013
8

This is a very fun little fan animation starring Crash. It’s very much in the spirit of the little orange guy and his Looney Tunes roots…

UK Playstation Mag Interview

July 8, 2013
29

An interview with questions spanning the length of my career, from the early days, to Naughty Dog, to much more recent times…

The Last of Us – My Review

June 26, 2013
79

I finally got the chance to play all the way through The Last of Us. Here are my thoughts on what is probably the best narrative video game yet made…

The Last of Us – Review Roundup

June 5, 2013
5

The Last of Us is almost on us, and with the review ban lifted I round up over 50 reviews…

More Crash for Charity

May 1, 2013
8

Crash super fan Matt Wallace is auctioning off various Crash Bandicoot swag for charity on e-bay…

PS2 Memory Lane

April 25, 2013
320

My first PS2 glimpse was hardly typical. In the spring of 1999, I had to go down to LAX and claim my prototype unit…

The Last of Us – Red Band

April 3, 2013
10

April brings us The Last of Us two minute red band trailer… awesome…

Crash Valentines

February 14, 2013
25

In honor of Valentines, I share with you both a cute fan pic, courtesy of die hard fan Daisy Parker, and fan Aaron White’s latest stop motion fan film…