Heather Cerlan is a veteran developer and studio founder with 19 years of experience in the video game industry. Her career spans acclaimed franchises including The Last of Us, Uncharted, Starfield, Dragon Age and Ultima Online. She founded NEARstudios and serves as CEO and Creative Director. Their debut title, Hawthorn, described as “Skyrim meets Stardew Valley” has built a passionate global following with a successful Kickstarter and 350k Wishlists on Steam.