Naughty Dog boss Neil Druckmann has confirmed that the studio is working on a pair of new projects tied to The Last of Us, but details on the nature of these projects are shrouded in mystery. Since the launch of The Last of Us Part II back in 2020, many fans have longed to see a third entry in the series come about. Despite this, Naughty Dog has since moved on to developing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which represents its first new IP in well over a decade. And while the mere existence of Intergalactic has naturally led some to believe that Naughty Dog is done working on The Last of Us, Druckmann has made clear that this isn’t the case.
Videos by ComicBook.com
In a blog post to conclude Naughty Dog’s “The Last of Us Day” festivities, Druckmann spoke a bit about what the future holds for the series. Druckmann acknowledged his previous statements in the Grounded II documentary about finding new stories to tell in this world. Now, Druckmann says that the studio has opted to make these story ideas a reality and is early in the process of developing them. Further details on these projects weren’t shared by Druckmann, but he did confirm that it will expand the larger canon of the series beyond what’s seen in the games.
“We have a couple of very exciting new projects in very early stages – so we can’t say much about them at this point,” Druckmann said. “I will tell you that both projects will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part I and Part II. The world of The Last of Us means a great deal to us, and we wouldn’t return to it unless we had something meaningful to say. We believe these stories are worth telling.”
As mentioned, the most curious thing about this statement from Druckmann is that he never outright confirms that these story ideas are going to be turned into games. While The Last of Us is primarily known as a video game franchise, the series has taken a handful of different forms over the years. While the most prominent one to many is likely HBO’s TV adaptation, there has also been comic book series and even a stage play tied to The Last of Us as well.
With this in mind, fans shouldn’t immediately assume that this is Druckmann’s way of confirming that The Last of Us Part III is happening. While this is still a distinct possibility, his wording here implies that these upcoming stories could be something completely different that fans aren’t anticipating. As such, until we learn more about these new The Last of Us endeavors, don’t get too excited about the potential for Part III just yet.
What do you happen to think that these new The Last of Us projects from Naughty Dog will be? And do you think we’ll ever end up getting The Last of Us Part III in the future? Be sure to share your own thoughts with me down in the comments section.
More Gaming
-
Courtesy of Rockstar Games -
Courtesy of Fury Studios -
Courtesy of 343 Industries
