Neil Druckmann Steps Down from HBO’s The Last of Us to Focus on Naughty Dog

Neil Druckmann, greatest identified for his work as artistic lead on Naughty Canine’s profitable The Final of Us sequence, has introduced he’ll step down from his “artistic involvement” with HBO’s adaptation of the video games so as to concentrate on his work with Naughty Canine.

In a message on social media, Druckmann says the choice to step away from the present was “troublesome”, however that he needs to “transition [his] full focus to Naughty Canine and its future initiatives”, together with the upcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, on which Druckmann serves as author and director.

Druckmann says that engaged on HBO’s The Final of Us sequence as a co-creator “has been a profession spotlight”, and that now, after the completion of sequence two and “earlier than any significant work begins on season three”, is the “proper time” to step away.

The primary season of The Final of Us debuted again in early 2023, rapidly incomes essential popularity of its faithfulness to the supply materials, in addition to for the performances of leads Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who play Joel and Ellie respectively.

When the second season aired earlier this 12 months, the response from audiences, in addition to some critics, was decidedly extra muted. Our very personal Andrew Stretch awarded the season a 7 out of 10, praising its set dressing and Pascal’s efficiency however criticizing “pacing points”.

A 3rd season of the present is on the best way, and on condition that the second season did not conclude the story of The Final of Us: Half II, we will fairly assume that the upcoming season will achieve this.

As for the video games, so far as we all know, there is no third installment in improvement, though Druckmann has stated earlier than that he believes there may very well be “yet one more chapter” to the story the video games inform.

Provided that Naughty Canine is at present exhausting at work on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, nonetheless, and given the sheer period of time video games take to make nowadays, I would not financial institution on seeing a 3rd The Final of Us sport for fairly a while but.