Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has stated that the studio is not involved in the creative direction of the upcoming third season of HBO's The Last of Us adaptation. He also confirmed that the studio is actively working on more projects within The Last of Us intellectual property.
Druckmann, who co-created the video game series, stepped away from the HBO show after its second season to focus on Naughty Dog's upcoming science fiction action game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Speaking to The Washington Post, Druckmann clarified his current lack of involvement with the TV series.
“I wasn’t involved in shaping this season’s creative direction, and Naughty Dog did not have a creative role in the direction of this season,” Druckmann said. “So I can’t personally speak to how production is progressing.”
Despite this distance from the television adaptation, Druckmann emphasized Naughty Dog's continued stewardship of the franchise. "It’s important for us to note that as the creator of the games, Naughty Dog is still steward of this IP and even though this might be the end of this adaptation, we’re not done with The Last of Us,” he stated. He added, “There’s a couple projects in the works that, when the time is right, I’m very excited to talk about.”
While the specifics of these new projects remain undisclosed, Druckmann's comments suggest that further developments within The Last of Us universe are planned, leaving the possibility open for a potential third game in the critically acclaimed series.