Neil Druckmann Leaves HBO’s “Last of Us” Ahead of Season 3

In a graphic posted to the company’s Instagram account, Naughty Dog Studios head Neil Druckmann revealed he is stepping away from HBO’s live-action “The Last of Us” series. Druckmann served as co-showrunner with Craig Mazin on seasons 1 and 2, and also penned several episodes.

“I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO,” Druckmann said. “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.”

“It’s been a creative dream to work with Neil and bring an adaptation of his brilliant work to life on HBO,” Mazin said in a statement. “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.”

Halley Gross, who co-wrote “The Last Of Us Part II” and the season 2 finale, has also left the show.

Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on max.