The Real Reason Neil Druckmann Left 'The Last of Us' After Season 2
Neil Druckmann has announced that he is leaving The Last of Us after Season 2. Co-creator Craig Mazin will work on Season 3 without him. Here's how Druckmann explained his decision to leave the project.
Neil Druckmann created the game duology The Last of Us at Naughty Dog, so fans were happy when he took on the TV series for HBO. However, the production of the adaptation of one of the most popular video games will now continue without him.
Neil Druckmann Announced He's Leaving 'The Last of Us' to Focus on Game Development
Druckmann unexpectedly announced his departure from the project on the official Naughty Dog Instagram account. He was happy to collaborate with Craig Mazin but now wants to focus on game development:
“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.”
Druckmann said that working on the HBO series was one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of his career. In a statement, he thanked the entire team behind the show and singled out executive producer, writer, and director of the first two seasons Craig Mazin.
The game designer will explore the studio's projects, including Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. This action-adventure game will tell the story of a space hunter who is stranded on a distant planet.
It was later revealed that Halley Gross, co-author of The Last of Us Part II and screenwriter of the series, is also leaving the project.
Fans of 'The Last of Us' Are Divided Over the News
Fans of the HBO series are alarmed by this news. Many believe that The Last of Us, whose second season has already received a cold reception from viewers, will further decline in quality with the departure of Druckmann. One Redditor wrote:
“The next season of the show is definitely going to be worse than the last. I feel like Mazin does not understand the version of Ellie from the second game.”
Some viewers believe that Druckmann is tired of working on The Last of Us franchise and wants more creative freedom. Reddit user Xeccess commented:
“Before people start spinning this as a bad thing, it sounds to me like he would rather focus on creating new stories and experiences rather than retelling the same one for a whole decade.”
Whatever the outcome of this decision, we won't know until the third season of The Last of Us is released, which isn't expected until 2027.
