The Last of Us Creator Neil Druckmann Ribs HBO At The Game Awards: Which Streaming Overlord—Netflix Or Paramount?

So, this is a sentence I did not expect to type: Netflix is in the middle of buying Warner Bros., and Neil Druckmann turned the whole corporate shuffle into a punchline at the Game Awards. Honestly, same energy.

The moment

After The Last of Us won best game adaptation at the 2025 Game Awards, Druckmann hit the stage to accept. The clip landed on Twitter soon after, and he thanked the usual suspects before tossing out a pretty perfect jab at the current ownership chaos.

"Do we need to thank Netflix or Paramount, or whoever our streaming overlord is now?"

For anyone not following the business drama, here is why that line hit so hard.

Quick recap: the corporate shuffle

• Earlier in 2025, Warner Bros. put itself up for sale, drawing interest from multiple buyers, including Paramount Pictures.
• On December 5, Netflix announced it would acquire Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion.
• Paramount came back with a higher bid but was turned down.

Why this touches The Last of Us

The series lives at HBO, and HBO is owned by Warner Bros. If Netflix buys Warner Bros., it effectively becomes HBO's parent, which is wild to even write. Druckmann, who created The Last of Us and serves as screenwriter, director, and executive producer on the show, was basically making light of the fact that his show's corporate home might change hands — again.

And that is only one piece of Warner Bros.' monster portfolio. The company also oversees DC Studios and sits on giant franchises like Harry Potter and Looney Tunes. So, yeah, a lot of major pieces move if this deal closes.

The theatrical question (because of course there is one)

Plenty of film fans are nervous about what this means for movies on the big screen. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos tried to calm that down at a recent conference, saying they did not buy the company to wreck the value of theatrical. He also pointed out Netflix has not talked much about theatrical in the past because it was not their lane, but if and when the deal closes, they will be in that lane — and they are going to do it.

What we still do not know

The future of the Warner Bros. networks — HBO, CNN, the whole lot — is the big question. How Netflix would treat those brands and their libraries is TBD. And the deal still has to actually close. For now, Druckmann is cracking jokes, the rest of us are refreshing news feeds, and Warner Bros. continues to be the most expensive game of corporate musical chairs in town.