Latest news with #Intergalactic
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Last Of Us creator quits show to focus on Intergalactic and secret game
Neil Druckmann will not have anything to do with season 3 of The Last Of Us TV show, as he returns to work at Naughty Dog full-time. Naughty Dog is one of the most respected video game developers in the world but they're certainly not the most prolific. They haven't made a completely new game since The Last Of Us Part 2 in 2020 and they only announced Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as recently as last December. Despite very little of it having been shown, the fan response so far has been muted and so with another secret game also in development, studio head Neil Druckmann has announced he's stepping away from The Last Of Us TV show at HBO and won't be involved in the third season. Perhaps not coincidentally, he's taking his leave after a less rapturous reception for the second season, which started to deviate considerably from the plot of the original game – which Druckmann himself co-wrote. '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,' wrote Druckmann on X. Druckmann is co-writing Intergalactic with Claire Carré, but there has been considerable confusion about the tone and story behind the game. The initial teaser trailer suggests a knockabout, 80s-inspired sci-fi adventure, but descriptions of the plot talk about religion and faith being the primary themes. That seems an odd match for a game with swordfighting robots in it, so it's easy to imagine that Druckmann will need to knuckle down and concentrate to make it work, rather than being distracted by working on the HBO show. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Although Naughty Dog has certainly made comedic games before, with titles like Crash Bandicoot and the early Uncharted titles, that was before Druckmann rose to be Studio Head. Whether Intergalactic is meant to be a return to that sort of tone is unclear, but that may be exactly what Druckmann is trying to hammer out at the moment. Naughty Dog has previously implied they have at least two new games in development, but there's no clue as to what they are, other than Intergalactic. More Trending Druckmann has been increasingly pessimistic about the chances of The Last Of Us Part 3, but while that does remain a possibility, it doesn't seem to be the second title they're working on, as Druckmann is merely a producer on that game, rather than a director. There is a long-standing rumour that the second game may have a fantasy theme, possibly something involving dragons, but there's never been any real evidence for that. If Druckmann is no longer dividing his time between his day job and the HBO show, we'll hopefully get to see what it is sooner rather than later. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: EA thinks Battlefield 6 will be as big as Fortnite as it sets 100,000,000 player target MORE: Over 6,000 people have lost their jobs at Xbox in less than two years MORE: Xbox boss Phil Spencer keeps his job as fans call for him to resign
Geek Tyrant
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Neil Druckmann Exits THE LAST OF US HBO Series Ahead of Season 3 To Focus on a New Video Game — GeekTyrant
Well, this one's going to sting for fans of The Last of Us . Neil Druckmann, the creative force behind the video game franchise and co-creator of its hit HBO adaptation, has announced that he's stepping away from the series just as it gears up for Season 3. 'I've made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO,' Druckmann shared in a statement posted to Naughty Dog's official Instagram. '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.' Druckmann added, 'Co-creating the show has been a career highlight. 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.' Halley Gross, who co-wrote The Last of Us Part II and served as executive producer and writer on the show, is also leaving. '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,' Gross said on Instagram. '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.' Druckmann and Gross's exits mark a major shift behind the scenes, especially with the third season just announced back in April. While both will still carry executive producer credits, the day-to-day creative reins now fall more fully to co-creator Craig Mazin. 'It's been a creative dream to work with Neil and bring an adaptation of his brilliant work to life on HBO,' Mazin said. '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.' Season 1 of The Last of Us became one of HBO's most acclaimed and most-watched dramas, earning 24 Primetime Emmy nominations. Season 2 premiered earlier this year, expanding on the emotional devastation of the games and setting up even bigger stakes for what's to come. As for Druckmann's next move, his mysterious new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was revealed late last year, with You and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Tati Gabrielle set to lead. Music will come from Oscar-winning duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. No release date has been announced yet. Well, hopefully the show will continue to be good as it continues without Druckman or Gross!
The Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The Last of Us TV show loses key player ahead of season three
Neil Druckmann is departing The Last of Us HBO series after completing work on its second season. He announced his intention to shift his complete focus to his games company, Naughty Dog, and its future projects. Druckmann will not be involved in the production of the third season of The Last of Us. His responsibilities at Naughty Dog include writing and directing their upcoming game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. He will also continue in his roles as Studio Head and Head of Creative at Naughty Dog.
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Neil Druckmann Is Stepping Away From HBO's ‘Last of Us'
In the wake of the controversially received second season of HBO's Last of Us TV series, series co-creator and executive producer Neill Druckmann has announced that he is stepping away ahead of production on season three. In a statement posted to Naughty Dog's social media accounts today, Druckmann said his move comes 'before any meaningful work' had begun on a third season of The Last of Us, set to continue adapting the remaining events of The Last of Us Part II. Druckmann will return his focus to working on Naughty Dog's own upcoming gaming projects, including the sci-fi game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, announced late last year. — Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) July 2, 2025'Co-creating the show has been a career highlight,' Druckmann's statement reads in part. '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.' Season one of the HBO series was met with near-universal critical acclaim when it debuted in 2023, but season two faced a rougher road—perhaps almost inevitably considering it dug into adapting the events of Part II, a sequel that had received its own fair share of controversies when it first launched in 2020. Some of the backlashes were mirrored with the release of the HBO show, like the reaction to the shock exit of Pedro Pascal's Joel, but the season also faced criticism for its approach to adapting the game's events in the context of the game's own controversial reception at launch, questioning whether something was lost in exchanging the game's ambiguity in storytelling for an attempt at a more clear-cut version of the narrative. HBO's Last of Us adaptation was initially anticipated to run three seasons long, splitting its adaptation of The Last of Us Part II across two seasons. But earlier this year, showrunner Craig Mazin suggested that instead 'the most likely outcome' will be that the series continues for a fourth season. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Neil Druckmann Is Leaving ‘The Last Of Us' Season 3, Craig Mazin Goes Solo
The Last of Us There was a general sense in The Last of Us season 2 that Craig Mazin was taking the show and character of Ellie in strange directions, and only when The Last of Us game co-creator Neil Druckmann stepped in did things get better. Well, a new report from The Ankler says that Druckmann is leaving The Last of Us season 3 entirely and will hand everything over to Mazin now. Here's what Druckmann told The Ankler: '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 two and before any meaningful work starts on season three, 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,' Druckmann said in a statement to The Ankler about his decision, which he planned to share with Naughty Dog staff Wednesday. 'Co-creating the show has been a career highlight. 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 of the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adapting The Last of Us Part I and their continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part II. I look forward to HBO and PlayStation Productions continuing Ellie and Abby's story next season.' The Last of Us While it's understandable that Druckmann needs to shift his focus to the enormous AAA video game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, this leaves the Emmy-winning HBO series in a tough spot, given how unsteady Mazin has been with the source material the characters. Mazin has said that it will take at least two more seasons in order to finish out The Last of Us Part II. There are not any reported creative differences between the duo, just that Druckmann has responsibilities at Naughty Dog, it seems. The Last of Us is about to enter a tough new era where it will be at least two years from now that the show will return, and do so without the core cast as it focuses on the just-introduced character of Abby for what is likely to be almost all of season 3. This is how the game worked, yes, but with TV being a different format and these expansive breaks between seasons, it's a big issue. Then, we'll have another season another 2-2.5 years after that, it seems. This isn't good news. Not that Mazin can't make good seasons by himself, but Druckmann was clearly a big part of why the series worked, especially in season 1 and in his limited episodes in season 2. Things look shaky from here. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
