'The Last of Us' Co-Creator Abruptly Exits HBO Show: ‘Difficult Decision’

The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann confirmed that he is stepping down from the HBO 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, 45, said in a statement through his video game company, Naughty Dog, on Wednesday, July 2. “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 has been a pivotal creative force behind the Last of Us franchise, as co-creator of the original video games for Naughty Dog. He also adapted the live-action TV version of The Last of Us for HBO with Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin. HBO’s adaptation of the hit video games has won eight Emmy Awards (so far). (The Ankler was first to report the news of his departure.)

“Co-creating [the Last of Us] show has been a career highlight,” Druckmann continued. “It’s been an honor to work alongside Craig Mazin to executive produce, direct and write on the last two seasons.”

He continued, “I’m deeply thankful for the thoughtful 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.”

(HBO’s first season of The Last of Us was based on Druckmann and Bruce Straley’s acclaimed 2013 zombie apocalypse game. The Last of Us Part II – which was written by Druckmann and Halley Gross – inspired the second season of the HBO show.)

Despite Druckmann’s exit from The Last of Us TV show’s creative team, he will continue to serve as an executive producer. Mazin said in a statement to Us Weekly that it had been a “creative dream” to work with Druckmann over the past two seasons.

“I couldn’t have asked for a more generous creative partner,” Mazin added. “As a true fan of Naughty Dog and Neil’s work in video games, I’m beyond excited to play his next game. While he focuses on that, I’ll continue to work with our brilliant cast and crew to deliver the show our audience has come to expect. We are so grateful to Neil and Halley Gross for entrusting the incredible story of The Last of Us Part II to us, and we’re just as grateful to the millions of people around the world who tune in.”

The seismic creative retooling of The Last of Us will likely come as a major shock to fans, since Druckmann had signaled that he was very much on board with season 3 when HBO renewed the show in April.

“To see The Last of Us brought to life so beautifully and faithfully has been a career highlight for me, and I am grateful for the fans’ enthusiastic and overwhelming support,” Druckmann said at the time. “Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime, Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO, and our team at PlayStation Productions. On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, our cast, and crew, thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity. We’re thrilled to bring you more of The Last of Us.”

Us Weekly has reached out to HBO for comment.

The Last of Us viewers were left with lots of lingering questions following the May 25 season 2 finale, including whether Pedro Pascal will return as Joel in season 3. (Pascal’s character Joel was killed off in a storyline that mirrored the events of the Last of Us Part II video game, but continued to appear via flashback scenes.)

In addition to its eight Emmy wins, The Last of Us was recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the Top 10 TV shows of 2023 and won a prestigious Peabody Award for Entertainment in 2024.

The Last of Us seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on HBO Max.