Naughty Dog head Neil Druckmann has introduced he is not going to be creatively concerned within the upcoming Season 3 of HBO's The Last of Us, opting as an alternative to focus totally on game growth of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) July 2, 2025
In a assertion posted to Naughty Dog social channels, Druckmann mentioned the next:
(*3*)Co-creating the show has been a profession spotlight. It's been an honor to work alongside Craig Mazin to government produce, direct, and write on the final two seasons. I'm deeply grateful for the considerate method and dedication the proficient forged and crew took to adapting The Last of Us Part I and the continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part II."
Additional reporting from The Ankler reveals that showrunner Craig Mazin will be heading up writing for Season 3, after having partnered with Druckmann on the first two seasons.
Druckmann's return to focus on game development comes following the reveal of Naughty Dog's next project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, at The Game Awards in December of 2024. While that seems to be Druckmann's main focus for now, it's not the studio's only project. Druckmann has confirmed that there's another, unannounced game in the works internally on which he is "more of a producer position" and gets to "mentor and watch this different group and provides suggestions and be like the chief within the room."
HBO's The Last of Us adaptation, meanwhile, has been wildly successful. HBO said that Season 2 saw an "inflow" of viewers that brought the series total global audience to over 90 million since the end of Season 1, though it added that low viewership of the Season 2 finale was due to its release timing on Memorial Day weekend.
Though Season 3 is confirmed to be in the works, it may not be the end. Mazin has said that he thinks a fourth season is essential, and the series composer said on a podcast recently that there would be "a minimum of two more seasons, no query." It is unclear whether or not Druckmann would return in a creative capacity on a fourth season.
We gave The Last of Us Season 1 a 9/10, calling it "a gorgeous adaptation that ought to thrill newcomers and enrich these already conversant in Joel and Ellie's journey alike." Season 2 got a slightly lower 7/10, "nonetheless good, but it surely's additionally a sequel that struggles as a result of it's solely half of the story."
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can discover her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].