#207 - Heather Cerlan Interview On Naughty Dog, Bethesda, Last Of Us, Hawthorne, Creation Engine

Heather Cerlan a former artist at Naughty and Bethesda, in this interview she shares her journey from a passionate artist to a studio founder, discussing her experiences at Naughty Dog and Bethesda, her insights on game development, and her ambitious new project Hawthorne. Discover lessons on persistence, navigating industry challenges, and the future of game art and design.

HAWTHORNE INFO

https://playhawthorn.com/

#thelastofus #starfield #uncharted

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

00:55 - Being In A Rockband

02:30 - Heather Kept Pestering Naughty Dog Till They Hired Her

06:17 - Having Imposter Syndrome At Naughty Dog/Naughty Dog Didnt Have Producers

08:30 - Bethesda Are About Quantity/Naughty Dog Is About Quality

10:36 - Heather’s Role At Bethesda/Starfield

13:45 - Pros & Cons Of Creation Engine

15:05 - There Was Pressure Internally For Bethesda To Migrate To Unreal Engine

16:59 - Uncharted Lost Legacy Production Issues/Intense Crunch

22:44 - Working On The Shiva Temple

24:28 - Heather’s View On Her Work Getting Remastered/Originals Vs Remasters

29:28 - Working With Neil Druckmann/Lesbian Stories

33:04 - Heather Had Concerns On LGBTQ Themes In Last Of Us Part II

38:00 - Naughty Dog Were Split On Joel’s Death In TLOU Part II

38:48 - The Reason Heather Left Naughty Dog

40:04 - Work On Hawthorne/NEAR Studios

43:41 - Bruce Nesmith

46:00 - Hawthorne Is Skyrim Meets Stardew Valley/Raising Money/Bad Publisher Terms

48:15 - How Naughty Dog & Bethesdas Culture Has Influenced Hawthorne

51:16 - Q + A - Differences Between Naughty Dog & Bethesda

54:54 - Todd Howard Is A Neil Druckmann Fanboy

56:42 - Heather Feels Very Lucky/The Decision To Start Her Own Company

59:18 - Overcoming Fear With Hawthorne

1:05:22 - Where To Follow Heather & Keep Up With Hawthorne