Neil Druckmann, who co-created The Last of Us video game and its hit HBO television adaptation, has announced he is departing the show to focus on his games studio.
The 46-year-old writer and programmer co-directed the bestselling 2013 game with Bruce Straley, along with its 2020 sequel. He then co-created the television version alongside Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin.
Druckmann has remained as studio head for Naughty Dog, the company that developed The Last of Us, and announced in a statement posted to Instagram that he will now focus on that role.
Druckmann wrote: “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.
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“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.”
In a statement to The Ankler, Mazin said: “It’s been a creative dream to work with Neil and bring an adaptation of his brilliant work to life on HBO.
“I couldn’t have asked for a more generous creative partner. 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 Last of Us on HBO has been widely acclaimed. In a four-star review of the show’s second season, The Independent’s Nick Hilton wrote: “Is The Last of Us a great TV show or just a great adaptation of a video game? In truth, it sits somewhere between these positions.
“Its origins are an unspoken constraint but showrunner Craig Mazin (and Neil Druckmann, the architect of the game, who co-creates this adaptation) have done a fine job translating for the screen.
“The world has ended over and over, on screens big and small, but it has rarely been as plausible – or compelling – as the barbaric wasteland in the second season of Last of Us.”
