Neil Druckmann is stepping away fromHBO’s The Last of Usto fully focus on several upcoming projects atNaughty Dog, including his next sci-fi game,Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
Back to Full-Time Game Development
The director behindThe Last of UsandUncharted 4announced he’s leaving his creative role in the HBO series to concentrate on game development:
“With work on Season 2 complete and before Season 3 begins in earnest, now is the right time to shift my full focus to Naughty Dog and our future projects — including writing and directing our exciting new game,Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, as well as continuing my role as studio head and creative lead.”
Druckmanndescribed co-creating the series as a career highlight and thanked Craig Mazin and the team for their work on the first two seasons. While Season 1 was widely praised upon its January 2023 debut, Season 2 — released in April 2025 — received a more mixed response.
His next game,Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, revealed in December last year, is a sci-fi action-adventure starring Jordan A. Mun, a bounty hunter stranded on the long-isolated planet Sempiria.
Naughty Dog’s Narrative-Focused Future
Druckmann previously hinted that Naughty Dog is working on several single-player titles beyondThe Last of Usuniverse.
All of them, he says, will maintain the studio’s signature narrative focus, exploring deep relationships and philosophical themes.Intergalacticis expected to release in 2026, although no official date has been announced yet.
