In case you didn't know, Naughty Dog boss and director of The Last of Us Part 2, Neil Druckmann, served as co-showrunner of HBO's The Last of Us TV series.
The announcement was made by the official Naughty Dog X (formerly Twitter) account, which stated that Neil delivered a message to the studio's staff.
Neil Druckman Departs HBO's The Last of Us After Season 2
Druckmann said, "I've made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO. With work completed on season 2 and before any meaningful work starts on season 3, now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to Naughty Dog and its future projects, including writing and directing our exciting next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, along with my responsibilities as Studio Head and Head of Creative."
The studio chief commented on the experience of working with co-showrunner Craig Mazin, stating, "Co-creating the show has been a career highlight. It's been an honor to work alongside Craig Mazin to executive produce, direct and write on the last two seasons. I'm deeply thankful for the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adapting The Last of Us Part I and the continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part II."
Druckmann's departure couldn't have come at a better time, as while the first season of The Last of Us garnered universal acclaim, the same can't be said for the second season. In fact, data shows that fans seem disinterested in the Season 2 finale compared to Season 1. If you played the game or saw the first few episodes of Season 2, you probably have a good idea why the fan base suddenly soured on the experience.
This means that unless Craig Mazin finds another showrunner, he'll be soloing Season 3 of the TV show. While HBO has confirmed a third season, Mazin has gone on record stating that they'll need a fourth season to tell the story of the second game fully. I gather that this all depends on Season 3, as if the ratings are down or there's a disconnect between the show and the TV series, HBO might not be as willing to renew the zombie drama for another season.
When it comes to Naughty Dog's games in development, the only thing made pubic has been Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. All we've seen so far is one trailer, and recent reports indicate that the action game won't be ready for release in 2026, but is targeting 2027 at the soonest.
Will you still tune in to the third season of The Last of Us even if Druckmann isn't involved? More importantly, do you think the show's quality will be affected by his departure? Sound off and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
