Co-showrunner Neil Druckmann shocked fans in July when he revealed he was stepping away from HBO’s The Last of Us ahead of its upcoming third season. Now, the PlayStation and Naughty Dog chief has broken his silence, explaining why he made the decision — and what his role will look like going forward.

In a new interview with Variety ahead of this Sunday’s Emmy Awards, Druckmann said his exit wasn’t abrupt . Instead, it was about completing the “crazy goal” he had when first bringing his beloved game to TV:

“Our goals for the show — I had multiple goals, some of them were selfish. I wanted to elevate The Last of Us beyond the people that have played the game. I felt like that story could find a bigger audience for people that will never play video games. I wanted to elevate

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