#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 #unchartedTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:55 - Being In A Rockband02:30 - Heather Kept Pestering Naughty Dog Till They Hired Her06:17 - Having Imposter Syndrome At Naughty Dog/Naughty Dog Didnt Have Producers08:30 - Bethesda Are About Quantity/Naughty Dog Is About Quality10:36 - Heather’s Role At Bethesda/Starfield13:45 - Pros & Cons Of Creation Engine15:05 - There Was Pressure Internally For Bethesda To Migrate To Unreal Engine16:59 - Uncharted Lost Legacy Production Issues/Intense Crunch22:44 - Working On The Shiva Temple24:28 - Heather’s View On Her Work Getting Remastered/Originals Vs Remasters29:28 - Working With Neil Druckmann/Lesbian Stories33:04 - Heather Had Concerns On LGBTQ Themes In Last Of Us Part II38:00 - Naughty Dog Were Split On Joel’s Death In TLOU Part II38:48 - The Reason Heather Left Naughty Dog40:04 - Work On Hawthorne/NEAR Studios43:41 - Bruce Nesmith46:00 - Hawthorne Is Skyrim Meets Stardew Valley/Raising Money/Bad Publisher Terms48:15 - How Naughty Dog & Bethesdas Culture Has Influenced Hawthorne51:16 - Q + A - Differences Between Naughty Dog & Bethesda54:54 - Todd Howard Is A Neil Druckmann Fanboy56:42 - Heather Feels Very Lucky/The Decision To Start Her Own Company59:18 - Overcoming Fear With Hawthorne1:05:22 - Where To Follow Heather & Keep Up With Hawthorne