HBO's The Last of Us takes a major hit as co-creator and writer Neil Druckmann leaves to focus on Naughty Dog and video games.

"The Last of Us" was created by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley, who worked in tandem to write and direct the smash hit video game. The sheer popularity of the video game led to a series adaptation being created by HBO, to be streamed on Max.

Neil Druckmann, co-creator of The Last of Us video game and co-showrunner on the HBO adaptation, will be stepping away from the television series moving forward. In a statement, Druckmann — who is also studio head at The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog — said the decision was made to focus on the studio’s upcoming games.