Via Naughty Dog’s Instagram account comes word from Neil Druckmann that he is stepping away from HBO’s telling of THE LAST OF US. He states, “I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO. 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.”
Yes, that makes sense. Surely with his active involvement with the first two seasons of the HBO series, his responsibilities at the PlayStation owned studio Naughty Dog had to have been neglected a bit. He does still have that position at the gaming studio. He goes on to say, “Co-creating the show has been a career highlight,” he 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.”
As he was a major creative force in the development of the stunning videogames and of the HBO series he will certainly be missed. Clearly, no one understood the saga in any format better than him. It is still in good hands however, with Craig Mazin, of CHERNOBYL, very much involved and seeing the show reach its conclusion. I’m sure if he needs to pick up the phone and call, Druckmann will offer advice and feedback. 
Mazin too, offered comment over the matter. He says, “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 mentioned Hailey Gross, also from Naughty Dog, is bowing out for the same reasons. She was an executive producer and writer on the HBO series. She declared, “With great care and consideration, I’ve decided to take a step back from my day-to-day work on HBO’s The Last of Us to make space for what comes next. I’m so appreciative of how special this experience has been. Working alongside Neil, Craig, HBO, and this remarkable cast and crew has been life changing. The stories we told – about love, loss, and what it means to be human in a terrifying world – are exactly why I love this franchise. I have some truly rad projects ahead that I can’t wait to share, but for now, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who brought Ellie and Joel’s world to life with such care.”
So, just has there are shifts in the tone and character perspectives in the series, there are shifts in staffing behind the camera going forward. It would have been better to see Druckmann and Gross carry out their functions, but Naughty Dog needs them. At this point, we can only wonder how strongly their absence will affect the show, but it is in good hands with Mazin seeing it to its conclusion.
