Naughty Dog boss Neil Druckmann reacts to The Last of Us season 2's Emmy nominations following exit from HBO show: "[It] has been a thrill"

The boss of The Last of Us game series’ studio, Neil Druckmann, has reacted to The Last of Us season 2 receiving 16 Emmy nominations.

The studio and creative head of Naughty Dog took to Twitter, writing, "On behalf of the entire development team at Naughty Dog, thank you to the Academy, and a huge congrats to the entire cast & crew of The Last of Us Season 2 on their Emmy nominations!" adding, "To see the story of The Last of Us Part II celebrated and find new life and new fans has been a thrill for our studio."

This comes just 2 weeks after Druckmann stepped down as co-showrunner of the HBO show, which he headed with co-creator Craig Mazin. Druckmann said that although the decision to leave was "difficult," he wanted to exit "before any meaningful work starts on season 3," so he can focus primarily on the future of Naughty Dog. However, it is nice to see that Druckmann is still celebrating the series' accolades.

The Last of Us season 2 is one of the most-nominated shows this year at the Emmys, with 16 nods in categories such as Best Actor for Joel actor Pedro Pascal, Best Actress for Ellie star Bella Ramsey, and a nomination for Best Drama. The second season also received nominations for Best Production Design, Casting, Picture Editing, Contemporary Makeup, Prosthetic Makeup, Special Visual Effects, and more.

The Last of Us season 1 was nominated for 24 Emmys and bagged eight wins at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Guest Actress in a drama for Storm Reid and Outstanding Guest Actor in a drama for Nick Offerman.

However, The Last of Us season 2 did not receive any writing or directing nominations. This is interesting, as many fans feel that the script and delivery of the game’s story is what let the sophomore season down. That may be why The Last of Us season 2 saw such a dramatic drop in audience score on Rotten Tomatoes in comparison to the first.

The Last of Us season 2 adapts half of Naughty Dog's game The Last of Us Part 2. However, despite previously being confirmed that an upcoming third season will cover the rest of the story, Mazin has now said that there may be a fourth season on the way.

The Last of Us is streaming now on HBO Max. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way and read our The Last of Us season 2 review.