Naughty Dog studio head Neil Druckmann has announced he will not be creatively involved in the upcoming third season of HBO's *The Last of Us*. He has chosen to dedicate his full attention to game development, specifically the studio's next major project, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*.
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In a statement released on Naughty Dog's official channels, Druckmann elaborated on his decision.
"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.
"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*."
Separate reporting from *The Ankler* indicates that showrunner Craig Mazin will lead the writing for Season 3, following his partnership with Druckmann on the first two seasons.
Druckmann's renewed focus on game development follows the reveal of Naughty Dog's next game, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*, at The Game Awards in December 2024. While this project is his primary focus, it is not the studio's only undertaking. Druckmann has confirmed another, unannounced game is in development internally, on which he serves "more of a producer role," mentoring the team and providing executive feedback.
HBO's *The Last of Us* adaptation has been a significant success. The network reported that Season 2 attracted an influx of viewers, bringing the series' total global audience to over 90 million since the end of Season 1. It noted that lower viewership for the Season 2 finale was attributed to its Memorial Day weekend release.
Although a third season is confirmed to be in development, it may not conclude the series. Mazin has stated he believes a fourth season is essential, and the series composer recently suggested on a podcast that there will be "at least two more seasons, no question." It remains unclear if Druckmann would return in a creative capacity for a potential fourth season.
We awarded *The Last of Us* Season 1 a score of 9/10, calling it "a stunning adaptation that should thrill newcomers and enrich those already familiar with Joel and Ellie's journey alike." Season 2 received a slightly lower score of 7/10, described as "still good, but it's also a sequel that struggles because it's only half of the story."
