Overview
- Neil Druckmann told The Washington Post that he and Naughty Dog had no involvement in shaping the creative direction of Season 3 of HBO’s The Last of Us.
- Druckmann confirmed Thursday that the studio is not overseeing the show’s production and that Craig Mazin remains in charge of the series on HBO.
- HBO’s third season is in production in Vancouver with filming expected to run through November for a planned 2027 premiere and will shift its narrative focus to the character Abby.
- Naughty Dog says it remains the steward of The Last of Us intellectual property and has “a couple” of new Last of Us projects in development while studio leadership concentrates on the next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
- The split follows a mixed reception and a viewership drop for Season 2 and the cancellation of the studio’s Last of Us Online multiplayer project in 2023, factors that shape questions about how Naughty Dog may reuse prior work or steer future entries.