Naughty Dog has paid tribute to developer Daniel Kinnard, who passed away during The Last of Us Part 1's production. In the words of his co-workers, Kinnard "was a wonderful person" and "a huge part of the team," and people all over the world should know his name.
Shared on Twitter by Bend Studio animator Robert Morrison, who also helped out with God of War and The Last of Us Part 1, Daniel Kinnard was a talented producer at PlayStation's Visual Arts Department. The developer sadly passed away during the remake's development, which was a devastating blow for the team. As such, the studio decided to immortalize Kinnard within the last game he was working on.
The attached screenshot from The Last of Us Part 1 shows a poster with Daniel Kinnard as a baseball player in the game's world. The image can be found on a wall in the farmhouse with Tommy and the horses, during the searching for Ellie sequence. "He was a wonderful person and a friend to many. Thank you, Naughty Dog," Morrison wrote.
His tweet was later complemented by the game's senior character artist, Colleen Peck Larson, who added that Kinnard's "passing was a big shock." She said that the tribute to him in this way means so much to her and her husband, who was good friends with Kinnard, and thanked the entire team. Kinnard's other co-worker, cinematic animator Haley Samms, said this loss was very painful. "Daniel was such an awesome, fun guy, and a huge part of the team".
Daniel Kinnard has been a part of the PlayStation family since 2018. He also worked on The Last of Us Part 2, Demon's Souls, and MLB The Show 21. It's always very emotional to let go of someone you know, but Daniel Kinnard will forever be immortalised in The Last of Us Part 1.