‘The Last of Us’ co-creator Neil Druckmann exits HBO series

Neil Druckmann is leaving “The Last of Us.”

Druckmann, the co-creator of the hit HBO series and the writer of the game on which it is based, announced Wednesday that he would be stepping away from the show ahead of its third season.

“I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO,” Druckmann said in a statement posted on Naughty Dog’s Instagram account. “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,” the statement continued. “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.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.