It seems like Naughty Dog director and co-president Neil Druckmann has pushed back on a recent rumor that claimed a third entry in the studio’s The Last of Us series was currently in the works. A few weeks back, a prominent film leaker claimed that The Last of Us Part 3 was now in production at Naughty Dog alongside the studio’s upcoming multiplayer project which is also tied to the franchise. And while many thought that this rumor could contain validity given the source that it stemmed from, it sounds like the leak is now very much in question.
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In a new message shared on Twitter, Druckmann teased that Naughty Dog will have “lots of cool stuff” to share throughout 2023 that is tied to some of the company’s upcoming projects. To go along with this, though, Druckmann cryptically warned fans to also “be wary” of recent “insider info” that has circulated. Without calling out this recent leak tied to The Last of Us Part 3 in particular, Druckmann seemed to be alluding to this rumor that came about not too long ago. As a result, it looks like this could be the director’s way of telling fans in a roundabout way that Naughty Dog isn’t working on The Last of Us Part 3 after all.
Although Druckmann sounds like he’s responding to this previous rumor, it’s worth stressing that he’s not outright denying the existence of another The Last of Us game. In fact, his specific wording in this instance says that “much” of what has been circling is false. As such, this framing is somewhat nebulous and definitely leaves the door open to The Last of Us Part 3 being legitimate.
Regardless of what the truth might be, the one thing we know for certain is that 2023 will already be a big year for The Last of Us. The new TV adaptation of the original The Last of Us is set to finally hit HBO and HBO Max later this month on January 15th. And beyond that, more news tied to the aforementioned multiplayer title is set to emerge this year as well.
What do you think that Naughty Dog’s next game for PS5 will end up being? And do you believe that this statement from Druckmann is his way of telling fans that The Last of Us Part 3 isn’t in development? Let me know either down in the comments or send me a message on Twitter at @MooreMan12.
