Video game development is a collaborative project, but there are a few figures who stand out due to being pioneers or game changers. One of those people is Amy Hennig, who has been part of the industry for decades and has credits on franchises such as Uncharted, Legacy of Kain, and Jak and Daxter. Despite her long list of achievements, her career shows no signs of slowing down.
Although Hennig had not always intended to enter the world of gaming, once she did, she managed to have a lasting impact. Her story is one of constantly adapting while staying true to core values, and gamers will see this once again with Luminous Production's upcoming open-world game, Forspoken. Her focus on character development and her ability to deliver cinematic experiences has changed the gaming landscape, which is why fans continue to look forward to projects she is involved with.
Amy Hennig Enters the World of Gaming
While most of the big players in the gaming scene have a tech background, Amy instead has an impressive artistic history, and this may explain her approach to gaming. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with an English literature degree before she went to San Francisco State University in 1989 to attend film school. Not unsurprisingly, games that Hennig has worked on are celebrated for their top-notch narratives, scriptwriting, and character development.
Her break into the gaming world occurred when she landed a freelance job at Atari, working as an artist on a game called Electrocoop. This was an important experience for Hennig, as it made her believe that gaming is "a more interesting and pioneering medium than film." Consequently, she dropped out of film school and dedicated herself to gaming. In 1991, she began working at Electronic Arts, eventually serving as an artist for the side-scrolling action game Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City. Although it was an important highlight on her journey, her first career-defining moment did not come until she left Electronic Arts and joined Crystal Dynamics.
The Legacy of Kain series is set in the gothic realm of Nosgoth, and it centers on Kain as he strives to restore balance to the world. The first entry in the series, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, was released in 1996, and Hennig assisted with the game's development. It was met with great reception, and with the sequel, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Hennig took more leadership, serving as producer, writer, and designer. Like its predecessor, the game was highly praised, leading to the release of Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance, which both had Hennig serving as director. According to Hennig, Legacy of Kain is her greatest achievement, but she did not stay with Crystal Dynamics forever, and her move to Naughty Dog launched her career to new heights.
Amy Hennig's Naughty Dog Era
Hennig joined Naughty Dog in 2003, and the studio had already been successful with franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter. In 2007, the studio would release Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, a game that birthed an iconic action-adventure series and changed the landscape of gaming. Nathan Drake and his treasure-hunting adventures would not have been possible without Naughty Dog's perfectionism, but there was also a special touch Hennig had on the game that critics recognized and appreciated.
Hennig was responsible for crafting Nathan Drake as a resourceful character with human qualities rather than a tough-as-nails superhero, and she was also insistent on the heavy focus on narrative and storytelling. As Hennig explained in an interview; when it comes to delivering a good cinematic story, "it’s got to come from the writing, it’s got to come from the casting, and the actors. And it’s gotta be your focus from day one."
Hennig served as a director on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and both were critically and financially successful, with Drake's Deception selling over 6.6 million copies. Her achievements with Naughty Dog and the Uncharted series have resulted in her being cited as an example of women excelling in the gaming industry, which is typically dominated by men. Her perspective as a woman has helped in the Uncharted series because, as she has explained, her input ensured prominent female characters were not designed to be titillating. Hennig does not stay in one place for too long, however, and in 2014 she left Naughty Dog.
What's Next For Amy Hennig?
Following her departure from Naughty Dog, Hennig joined Visceral Games, and she worked on a Star Wars game codenamed Project Ragtag. Unfortunately, the game never saw the light of day, and Hennig left Visceral Games in 2018. Shortly after, she started up her own division in Skydance Media called Skydance New Media. Through this division, she intends to extend past gaming and create experiences "created as an interactive series." In late 2021, Skydance announced that it was partnering with Marvel Entertainment to create a narrative-based interactive game.
That is not the only thing on Hennig's plate, however. She is also serving as a writer on Forspoken, an upcoming game being developed by Luminous Productions. The game shows promise, as it has other big names on the writing team, including Gary Whitta who co-wrote After Earth, and Todd Stashwick, who is co-creator of the online web-comic Devil Inside. Forspoken stars Frey Holland, a New Yorker who is thrust into the magical world of Athia. Unfortunately, the game has faced several delays, and it is now slated to release in January 2023.
Hennig has served as a role model, and she has pioneered a focus on narrative-centric gameplay, leaving an indelible mark on the gaming landscape. At Skydance New Media, Hennig's career continues to flourish. In April 2022, it was announced that she will be working with Lucasfilm Games on a new Star Wars game that will be narrative-driven. For fans of Hennig's works, there is plenty to look forward to ahead.