Neil Druckmann said Naughty Dog “weren’t involved in or had a role in shaping this season’s creative direction” for The Last of Us season 3. That leaves HBO’s next season without the studio that created the game source material, even as Druckmann says the franchise is not finished.
He made the point while explaining that he and Naughty Dog are “still the steward of the IP.” He also said the studio has “a couple projects in the works that, when the time is right, I’m very excited to talk about.”
Druckmann’s 2025 exit
Druckmann announced his leave from the show in 2025, after serving as co-creator and co-showrunner alongside Craig Mazin. His departure matters here because the show’s next season arrives without direct studio input, which is a clean break from the way the adaptation has been shaped so far.
The practical takeaway is simple: the TV side is moving forward on its own track, while the game studio stays attached to the broader IP. Those are not the same thing, and Druckmann’s comments make that split explicit without closing the door on more The Last of Us projects.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
At the same time, Naughty Dog is working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and Druckmann is co-directing and co-writing it. That gives the studio a separate lane, which helps explain why a future Last of Us project can still exist without him shaping season 3 of the show.
He framed the franchise in a way that sounds less like an ending than a handoff: “This might be the end of this adaptation, we’re not done with The Last of Us.” For viewers, that means season 3 is not the last word on the property, but it may be the first chapter the studio does not help write.
The Last of Us in 2027
The Last of Us returns with season 3 in 2027. Until then, the unresolved question is the one Druckmann left hanging: what are the couple projects in the works that he said he is very excited to talk about when the time is right?
