Neil Druckmann (Hebrew:ניל דרוקמן; born December 5, 1978) is anIsraeli–American writer, creative director, designer, and programmer. He is the studio head and head of creative of the video game developerNaughty Dog, and is best known for his work on the game franchisesUncharted andThe Last of Us, having co-created the latter.

Neil Druckmann
ניל דרוקמן
Druckmann atSXSW in 2025
Born	(1978-12-05)December 5, 1978 (age 46) Tel Aviv, Israel
Alma mater	Carnegie Mellon University
Occupations	Writer creative director designer programmer
Years active	2004–present
Employer	Naughty Dog
Notable work	Uncharted The Last of Us
Title	Studio head head of creative
Signature

Druckmann's first video game work came as an intern at Naughty Dog. In 2004, he became a programmer onJak 3 (2004) andJak X: Combat Racing (2005), before becoming a designer forUncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007). He was co-lead game designer forUncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009), which he co-wrote withAmy Hennig andJosh Scherr; the narrative was praised and received several accolades. He has also written comics, including the motion comicUncharted: Eye of Indra (2009) and the graphic novelsA Second Chance at Sarah (2010) andThe Last of Us: American Dreams (2013).

Druckmann co-ledthe development ofThe Last of Us (2013) as writer and creative director, roles he continued forThe Last of Us: Left Behind (2014) andUncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016), co-writing the latter with Scherr. Druckmann co-created and wrote thetelevision adaptation ofThe Last of Us withCraig Mazin, and directed several episodes. He was promoted to vice president of Naughty Dog in 2018 duringthe development ofThe Last of Us Part II (2020), for which he was creative director and co-writer withHalley Gross. He became co-president in 2020, head of creative in 2023, and studio head in 2024. He is the director and writer of the upcoming gameIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

He earned praise for his writing and directing work onThe Last of Us,Uncharted 4, andThe Last of Us Part II, which are often regarded among the best-written andgreatest video games ever made. Druckmann has received several awards, including threeBritish Academy Games Awards, fourD.I.C.E. Awards, twoGame Awards, threeGame Developers Choice Awards, and fourWriters Guild of America Awards.

Neil Druckmann was born inTel Aviv, Israel, on December 5, 1978,^[1][2] into aJewish family,^[3] the son of Yehudit (Judith) and Jerry Ilan Druckmann.^[4][5] Druckmann's family lived inRamat Aviv until 1981, when they moved toBeit Aryeh,^[5][6] asettlement in theWest Bank which largely consisted of employees ofIsrael Aerospace Industries, including Druckmann's father, a flight test engineer. His grandparents lived inHaifa and Tel Aviv.^[5] Druckmann recalled violence was a frequent topic on the news and in conversations at home.^[7] As an escape, his older brother Emanuel introduced him to comic books, video games, and movies at a young age,^[7][8] such asPong.^[9] These forms of entertainment, particularly video games bySierra Entertainment andLucasArts,^[2] helped him learn English.^[10] He became interested in storytelling and wrote his own comic books.^[8]

Druckmann moved to the United States with his family in 1989, attending middle school and high school inMiami, Florida.^[2] He began to study a criminologymajor atFlorida State University (FSU), aiming to get experience as anFBI agent to use when writingthriller novels.^{[1][11]: 2:16} His brother snuck him intoE3 in the late 1990s,^[12] and he attended the conference again in 1998, 2000, and 2002, as well asSIGGRAPH in 2002 and 2003.^[13] As an FSU student in 2001, he won aConker's Bad Fur Day multiplayer competition organized byNintendo andPlayboy.^[14] While studying, he worked as a clerk atMy Favorite Muffin and a salesman atPacSun.^[15] From July 2002,^[13] while living inTallahassee,^[2] Druckmann spent a year as a graphics research assistant at FSU's Visualization Lab.^{[11]: 5:46 [16]} During this time, he and some friends began developing the gamePink-Bullet forLinux andWindows.^[13] At one point, he wanted to be an animator, which required enlisting in art classes, but his parents forbade him from doing so.^[17]

After taking a programming class, Druckmann realized that it was his preference,^[8] and he began aBachelor of Computer Science with aminor in math in December 2002, graduatingcum laude the following year with agrade point average of 3.61.^[13] Due to his academic results, he was a member of theGolden Key Honor Society.^[13] He moved toPittsburgh, where he attendedCarnegie Mellon University,^[8] and began hismaster's degree inentertainment technology in August 2003^[13] at theEntertainment Technology Center.^[18] As part of the degree, he took a game design class byJesse Schell, which taught him philosophies about positive impacts of games he would later use,^{[11]: 10:00 [19]} and avirtual worlds course byRandy Pausch, which taught him to become more collaborative.^[19] Druckmann worked as a visual effects artist for a friend's team around this time.^[19] In April 2004, he developed the gameDikki Painguin in: TKO for the Third Reich for theNintendo Entertainment System as a student at Carnegie Mellon, in collaboration with fellow student Allan Blomquist.^[20][21]

One of Druckmann's professors paid for him to attend theGame Developers Conference (GDC) in 2003, where he attended a presentation byNaughty Dog co-founderJason Rubin.^{[11]: 6:36 [13]} After Druckmann "bugged" Rubin, the latter gave him his business card.^[8] Some time later, Rubin contacted Druckmann and offered him anintern position, a first for Naughty Dog. By the time Druckmann responded, the position had been taken.^[11]: 8:02 When encouraged to apply for internships by CMU, Druckmann reached out to Rubin for advice, and was told about a new internship at the studio. He was put in contact with game directorEvan Wells, who offered him the internship after an interview at GDC. During this time, he had also been offered an intern producer position atElectronic Arts onThe Sims 2; he extended the offer in order to interview with Wells.^{[11]: 10:14} In around May 2004, Druckmann joined Naughty Dog as a programming intern.^[8] He began working onlocalization tools and gameplay programming onJak 3 (2004). During this time, he would also offer assistance with additional design tasks. By the end of the internship in August, he was offered a full-time position by Wells and Stephen White, then co-presidents.^{[11]: 13:38} He received credit for the second year of his master's degree through his work at Naughty Dog,^{[11]: 15:10} earning the degree in 2005.^[8] He programmed the menu screens onJak X: Combat Racing (2005), which he considered one of the most difficult tasks of his career.^{[11]: 16:24} He continued to assist with smaller design tasks where possible.^{[11]: 18:33}

During the development ofJak 3 andJak X, Druckmann continued to ask Wells about joining the design team.^[22] Wells restrained from transferring him, as he was originally employed as a programmer and lacked experience in design,^{[11]: 21:17} but agreed to review Druckmann's design work if he completed them in his spare time.^[22] Druckmann iterated on several level designs with Wells's feedback, initially ongraph paper and later usingAdobe Illustrator.^{[11]: 22:02} Following the development ofJak X, Wells concluded that Druckmann was skilled in design, and gave him a design position forJak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier.^{[11]: 22:40} Several months into development, Wells transferred Druckmann to work as a game designer onUncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007), which was facing development troubles at the time;^{[22][11]: 26:12}High Impact Games took over work onThe Lost Frontier, which was released in 2009.^[23] In his position as game designer onDrake's Fortune, he worked closely withAmy Hennig to construct the story, before working onUncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009) as a lead game designer, becoming more involved with the core writing of the game.^[8][18]

In 2009, Druckmann worked on the motion comicUncharted: Eye of Indra, as writer and director. A prequel toDrake's Fortune,Eye of Indra tells the story ofNathan Drake prior to the events of the first game.^[24] Druckmann's firstgraphic novel,A Second Chance at Sarah, was published by Ape Entertainment in February 2010.^[25] With illustrations by artist Joysuke Wong, the novel relates Druckmann's interest in traveling back in time to meet his wife at a younger age. "There's something cute and poetic about that idea," Druckmann explained.^[26] He felt that he shares many similarities with the novel's protagonist Johnny, and that "a lot of Johnny's flaws and fears are based on [his] own shortcomings".^[26] The comic was originally released on February 24, 2010;^[27] critics particularly praised Wong's illustrations, as well as Druckmann's writing and character development.^[28]

Following the development ofUncharted 2, Naughty Dog split into two teams to work on projects concurrently. With one team working onUncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011), co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra chose Druckmann andBruce Straley to leaddevelopment on a new game; Druckmann was chosen for his determination and talent for design.^[22] Though they were originally set to develop a new game in theJak and Daxter series, the team felt that they "weren't doing service to the fans", and decided to create a new game, titledThe Last of Us.^[29]

When conceiving ideas forThe Last of Us, Druckmann used a concept that he created as a student at Carnegie Mellon University: to merge the gameplay ofIco (2001), the setting ofNight of the Living Dead (1968), andthe lead character ofSin City (1991–2000). The protagonist would be tasked with protecting a young girl, but players would often assume control of the young girl, reversing the roles. He basedThe Last of Us on this concept, replacing the protagonist withJoel, and naming the young girlEllie.^[30] Druckmann intendedThe Last of Us to be "rooted firmly within reality", a departure from Naughty Dog's previous "light and loose" feeling.^[31] He took acting classes to better communicate with actors while directing.^[18] The game was released on June 14, 2013, with praise for Druckmann's work on the story.^[32] He earned numerous awards, including aBAFTA,^[33]D.I.C.E. Award,^[34]Game Developers Choice Award,^[35]Golden Joystick Award,^[36] andWriters Guild of America Award.^[37]The Last of Us is often regarded one of the best-written video games,^[38][39] and one of thegreatest video games ever made.^[40][41][42]

Druckmann later worked on adownloadableexpansion pack,The Last of Us: Left Behind, a prequel focusing on Ellie's relationship with her friend Riley,^[43] which received critical acclaim.^[44] He earned additional accolades for his work onLeft Behind, including a second BAFTA^[45] and Writers Guild of America Award.^[46] In particular, he was praised for writing a scene involving a kiss between two female characters, which was named a "breakthrough moment" for video games.^[47] He also co-wrote the four-issue comic book miniseriesThe Last of Us: American Dreams, with writer and artistFaith Erin Hicks. It was published byDark Horse Comics, with the first issue released in April 2013,^[48] and was lauded for Druckmann's writing and character development, as well as Hicks's simplistic illustrations.^[49][50]

Following Hennig's departure from Naughty Dog in March 2014, it was announced that Druckmann and Straley were working onUncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016) as creative director and game director respectively.^[51] Initial reports claimed that Hennig was "forced out" of Naughty Dog by Druckmann and Straley, though co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra later denied this.^[52] Druckmann co-wrote the story alongside Josh Scherr;^[53] Druckmann considered Scherr the "funny one", allowing him to write the humor ofUncharted 4 due to Druckmann's self-professed inability to write jokes. He appreciated the collaboration of writing onUncharted 4, having writtenThe Last of Us almost entirely independently.^[54] The game was released on May 10, 2016, and praised for its story.^[55] It was awarded Best Narrative atThe Game Awards 2016,^[56] and Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing at the69th Writers Guild of America Awards.^[57] Dave Meikleham ofGamesRadar+ foundUncharted 4 among the best-written video games,^[38] and it is often regarded as among the greatest games.^[58][59][60] Druckmann acted as head of narrative development forUncharted: The Lost Legacy, released in August 2017.^[61]

In March 2014,Sony announced that Druckmann was writing a film adaptation ofThe Last of Us, produced bySam Raimi and distributed byScreen Gems.^[62] By January 2015, he had written the script's second draft, and performed aread-through with some actors.^[63] Very little work occurred following this, as Druckmann stated in April 2016 that the film had entereddevelopment hell,^[64] and in February 2018 said "I don't want that movie to be made."^[65] Druckmann worked as a playtester forWhat Remains of Edith Finch (2017).^[66] In August 2017, he was featured as a guest judge on an episode ofFace Off.^[67]

Druckmann was promoted to vice president of Naughty Dog in March 2018.^[68] He returned as creative director forThe Last of Us Part II (2020), co-writing the game alongsideHalley Gross;^[69] Straley did not return to co-direct the game.^[70] The game's themes of revenge and retribution were inspired by Druckmann's own experiences growing up in Israel, where violence was a frequent topic.^[7] He specifically recalled watching footage of the2000 Ramallah lynching, and how, after hearing the cheering crowds, his mind immediately turned to violent thoughts about bringing the perpetrators to justice;^[71][72] he later felt "gross and guilty" for having these thoughts.^[72] He wanted the player to feel a "thirst for revenge" before making them realize the reality of their actions.^[7] Two warring factions in the game were partly inspired by theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict and thetribalism and righteousness of some of those involved, but it was not intended as an allegory of the conflict nor an explicit depiction of both sides.^[5] Druckmann noted that some members of the team felt reluctant about the game's cynicism, but ultimately he preferred a divisive story than a "mundane" one.^[7]

The Last of Us Part II released on June 19, 2020, to critical acclaim.^[73] The story polarized critics; some praised the writing for its nuance and effectiveness,^[74][75] while others criticized its pacing and repetition of themes.^[76][77] The audience backlash towards the story led to Druckmann becoming the target of online hate and death threats, which were condemned by Naughty Dog.^[78] Druckmann makes a briefcameo appearance in the game as the voice of Briggs, a Washington Liberation Front soldier.^[79] AnEaster egg in the game's collectible trading cards also references Druckmann in the fictional character Doctor Uckmann.^[80]The Last of Us Part II holds the record for most Game of the Year awards, surpassing previous record holderThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015).^[81] For their work on the game, Druckmann and Grosswere awarded at theD.I.C.E. Awards,^[82]The Game Awards,^[83]Game Developers Choice Awards,^[84] Golden Joystick Awards,^[85]SXSW Gaming Awards,^[86] andTitanium Awards.^[87] Druckmann was also nominated at theVisual Effects Society Awards.^[88]The Last of Us Part II is often regarded as among the best-written video games,^[39][89] and as among the greatest ever made.^[42][90][91]

Druckmann was promoted to co-president of Naughty Dog, serving alongside Wells, on December 4, 2020.^[92] He was included on theVariety500 list in December 2020, identifying the most influential business leaders in the media industry.^[93] Druckmann was an executive producer on the filmUncharted (2022);^[94] to promote the film, he appeared on Sony'sCreator to Creator series alongside actorTom Holland, directorRuben Fleischer, and producer Asad Qizilbash.^[95] WithCraig Mazin, Druckmann is a writer and executive producer on thetelevision adaptation ofThe Last of Us forHBO.^[96] Druckmann directedthe second episode in October and November 2021;^[97][98] he felt his experience reinforced and reflected his experience in directing games.^[99] Druckmann noted the series was taking the opposite approach to adaptation thanUncharted; whileUncharted tells a new story with moments from the games to give "anUncharted flavor",The Last of Us is a direct adaptation with minor deviations, allowing alterations such as changing character perspectives in a manner unachievable in an immersive game.^[99] The series premiered in January 2023 to positive reviews;^[100][101] several critics considered it the best live-action adaptation of a video game.^{[102][103][104]} Reviewers praised the differences from the original game's narrative implemented by Mazin and Druckmann.^{[105][106][107]} Several critics praised Druckmann's directing on the second episode;^[108][109]Total Film's Russell praised Druckmann's "keen eye for beauty in this shattered world", citing a shot of a frog on a piano as a standout.^[110] Druckmann was nominated for two awards and won one at theWriters Guild of America Awards for the series.^[111]

In December 2021, Druckmann presentedGame of the Year atThe Game Awards.^[112][113] He had a cameo voice appearance inReturn to Monkey Island (2022).^[114] In April 2023, Druckmann wrote aboutHidetaka Miyazaki, president and game director atFromSoftware, forTime'slist of 100 influential people, naming Miyazaki'sElden Ring (2022) "a great ambassador for video games".^[115][116] In July, Wells announced he would retire from Naughty Dog by the year's end, making Druckmann the studio head and head of creative.^{[117][118][119]} Druckmann received the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at the 13th AnnualNew York Game Awards in January 2024,^[120] and was named among theLos Angeles Times's influential Los Angeles-based creators in June^[119] andVariety's top entertainment gaming leaders in November.^[9]

In May 2024, Sony published an interview with Druckmann as part of itscorporate strategy event.^[121] Some quotes attributed to Druckmann were criticized by developers, journalists, and gamers, including that his next game "could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming", which was described as "overly boastful",^{[122][123][124]} and thatartificial intelligence would "revolutionize how content is being created" despite some "ethical issues", which some saw as incongruous with Naughty Dog's focus on nuanced and personal storytelling.^{[118][125][126]} Druckmann later stated the former quote was "not quite what I said" and some words and context were removed during editing.^[123][125] Sony subsequently removed the interview after finding "several significant errors and inaccuracies", and apologized to Druckmann.^{[127][128][129]}

Forthe second season ofThe Last of Us, Druckmann and Mazin were joined in thewriters' room by Gross and Bo Shim.^[130] Druckmann co-wrote the final two episodes with Gross and Mazin,^[131] and directed the sixth episode from May to July 2024;^{[132][133][134]} the season is scheduled to air in 2025.^[135] AtSummer Game Fest in June 2022, Druckmann revealed he was working on a new game;^[136] he later said he was assembling a writers' room to be "structured more like a TV show" than any of Naughty Dog's previous projects.^[1] In August, Druckmann revealed he was writing and directing the game,^[137] for which he later said was the "most excited he has ever been".^[9] The game,Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, was announced atthe Game Awards in December 2024. It has been in development since 2020.^[138] Druckmann is leading development alongside co-game directors Matthew Gallant and Kurt Margenau.^[139][140] He featured on an episode ofCreator to Creator alongside film directorAlex Garland.^[141]

Druckmann's writing philosophy, which he realized while talking to game designerCory Barlog, is "simple story, complex characters"; Druckmann dislikes video games with complicated exposition, but enjoys writing complex character relationships.^[54] Throughout his writing, Druckmann approaches scenes with focus on every character, attempting to enter the mindset of each one. He tries to ignore charactertropes in an attempt to write "honestly".^[142] Druckmann also writes with a minimalist mindset, often asking himself "What is this scene really about? What's the least we have to say or do to convey that and no more?"^[142]

Before writingThe Last of Us andUncharted 4, Druckmann and Straley created entire outlines of the stories, before exploring the narrative more intricately, discussing the "moment-to-moment beats" of each level that lead to a bigger event. They began with the middle of the story, as it is the core of the gameplay and narrative, before exploring the game's climax and character development.^[54]The Frame host John Horn identified a repeating theme in Druckmann's stories, includingA Second Chance at Sarah andThe Last of Us, is the concept of characters attempting or hoping to alter their past in some way; Druckmann admitted he had not noticed this trend, though agreed with it and recognized its recurrence.^[143][3]

Druckmann cites game writerSam Lake as a large inspiration, naming himself a "longtime fan".^[144] Druckmann's favorite video games includeMonkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991),Ico,^[145]Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001),^[146] andResident Evil 4 (2005),^[145] and he is often inspired by character-focused comics such asPreacher (1995–2000), andY: The Last Man (2002–2008).^[3] Druckmann was also influenced by the character-driven storytelling in Sierra games likeKing's Quest andSpace Quest.^[147] While writingThe Last of Us, Druckmann was inspired by several films, including:Unforgiven (1992), for its ability to make audiences support the protagonist despite his immorality;No Country for Old Men (2007), due to its subtle and sparse execution, forcing audience engagement;^[142] andGravity (2013), in regards to simplicity and intensity.^[148]

Druckmann is a regular advocate ofgender equality in video games, citingAnita Sarkeesian as an influence;^[150] he presented the Ambassador Award to Sarkeesian at the 2014 Game Developers Choice Awards,^[151] and regularly advocated her projects.^[152] When Druckmann found that he regularly wrote about "white, straight, Christian male" characters, he was prompted to instead create more diverse characters.^[3] Throughout the development ofUncharted 4, Druckmann was influenced by concept artist Ashley Swidowski to include more female characters in the game. "She is constantly challenging me and pushing for diversity in our cast", he said.^[3] Uponfocus testers' criticism regarding the inclusion and portrayal of female characters inUncharted 4, one of whom was forced to leave due to an outburst, Druckmann expressed "Wow, why does that matter?"^[150]

Similarly, Ellie ofThe Last of Us was initially received negatively in early focus tests. Druckmann is proud that Ellie is a "strong, non-sexualized female lead character", and hoped that other developers would take similar approaches to characters without fear of unpopularity.^[8] Druckmann and Straley were surprised by some of the backlash in regards to gender roles inThe Last of Us, although Druckmann noted that "the more progress we make, the more those problems stand out".^[153] He declared it a "misconception" that female protagonists hinder game sales,^[154] evidenced by the success ofThe Last of Us.^[153]

Druckmann resides with his children inSanta Monica, California, where he bought a property in 2019; his house was styled by designerKim Gordon.^[155] He began dating his wife, Maya,^[156] while he was studying his undergraduate degree.^{[11]: 20:34} Druckmann became a father during the development ofThe Last of Us,^[30] and has said his daughter was a "huge inspiration" to him when writing the game.^[157] He found the birth of his daughter reinforced his ideas about family, as he realized he would "do anything" for her.^[3] Druckmann's son was born around 2014; he was around the same age asSam inthe fifth episode ofThe Last of Us when it aired in 2023, making its events more emotional for Druckmann.^{[158]: 10:19} In his spare time, Druckmann plays the guitar^[155] and joins his children in playing video games such asAnimal Crossing andPokémon.^[159]

Druckmann has a dent in his skull from being accidentally struck in the head with agolf club by a friend at the age of 16, which required 30 stitches.^[160] On his first day as director onThe Last of Us, he suffered from headaches and beganseeing double; he discovered the following day that he required emergency eye surgery, as an infection threatened the vision in his left eye.^[161] During production ofThe Last of Us Part II, he practicedintermittent fasting, which is referenced in one of the game's collectible cards.^[162] Early in pre-production on the television adaptation ofThe Last of Us, Druckmann and Mazin agreed to get matching tattoos of Ellie's switchblade if the series was successful;^[163] Mazin got his tattoo in February 2023,^[164] followed by Druckmann in March.^[165][166]

Druckmann speaksHebrew and English, though says his "Hebrew isn't that good".^[5] He holds American citizenship, having voted andpromoted voting in the2016 presidential election,^[167]2018 midterm elections,^[168]2020 primary elections,^[169] and2020 presidential election.^[170] Druckmann donatedUS$10,000 toNARAL Pro-Choice America following the decision ofDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in June 2022,^[171] andUS$2,500 each to both Israeli and Palestinian emergency response teams during theGaza war in October 2023.^[172]

Other credits

• 2017 –What Remains of Edith Finch (playtester)^[66]
• 2018 –A Way Out (directors thanks)^[174]
• 2020 –Ghost of Tsushima (special thanks)^[175]
• 2022 –Return to Monkey Island (cameo voice role)^[114]

Appearances

• 2013 –Grounded: Making The Last of Us (documentary)^[177]
• 2013 –Between the Lines with Barry Kibrick (season 13, episode 25)^[178]
• 2013 –How Videogames Changed the World (documentary)^[179]
• 2015 –Conversations with Creators (web series; episode 2)^[180]
• 2017 –The Game Makers: Inside Story (web series; 5 episodes)^[181]
• 2017 –Face Off (season 12, episode 7: "Feral Fungi")^[67]
• 2024 –Grounded: Making The Last of Us Part II (documentary)^[182]

• Neil Druckmann atIMDb