Bruce Straley who previously worked atNaughty Dogbefore retiring from the game industry in 2017 has returned to form a new studio,Wildflower Interactive.

Straley served as the co-director onUncharted 2, Uncharted 4 andThe Last of Usbefore leaving the gaming industry in 2017 after 18 years at Naughty Dog.

In his return video, Straley explained the rationale for his return, “In 2017, I left the industry not sure if I wanted to make games anymore but the longer I was away, I kept thinking about this medium, and everything yet to be done and everything I wanted to do still.”

He continued his statement by saying he grabbed some friends and began prototyping an idea which eventually started to excite him. Upon realising he “had to make this game," Straley realised he had to build a team and decided to “do it the right way” by establishing Wildflower Interactive.

“It has to be inclusive, equitable, and collaborative, full of big-hearted people that want to grow both professionally and personally. The culture needs to be as iterative as the way we make games, so we’re doing it.”

Wildflower has a clear mission statement listed on thestudio’s website, “We’re making ‘small-ish,’ creatively-charged, uniquely-stylized games that explore the possibilities of our medium. And we’re building a small, open-hearted team of creators that want to improve their skills and still lead a good life outside of work. People that want to hone their craft, have a say in the process, feel respected for their contributions, and be a part of the evolution of this awesome medium.”

Wildflower has already recruited some veteran industry talent and is looking to fill out its ranks via an open hiring process.

There is no indication as to what Wildflower’s first project will be, but the above quote indicates they’ll be working on smaller and more creative projects.