Naughty Dog Rumor Says Next Game Is a New IP, Not The Last of Us Part 3

It’s been four years since The Last of Us Part II first released on PlayStation 4, and fans have been eagerly awaiting information on the next installment in the series. However, if a new rumor is to be believed, Naughty Dog is not actively working on the game right now. According to leaker @Silknigth on Twitter, the developer is instead working on a brand-new IP for PlayStation, though there has been no information on what it might be. If true, that’s bound to disappoint some fans of the series, though there is something exciting about a trusted studio creating a wholly new game! 

Is The Last of Us Part III Going to Happen?

As with any rumor, readers are advised to take this with a grain of salt. That said, @Silknigth has proven to be reliable lately, and this seems plausible. The leaker went on to note in a follow-up Tweet that The Last of Us Part III is “not in full production,” indicating that work on the game is happening on some level, but it’s in an early stage rather than an advanced one. Earlier this year, Neil Druckmann talked about a third game in the series, and suggested that he’s still working on figuring out where the story could pick up from The Last of Us Part II. If that really is the case, we could be a long way away from a third game, and Naughty Dog would have to be working on something else while tLoU is on the back burner. 

At the end of the day, it’s for the best that Druckmann and Naughty Dog take their time on the next game in the series. While there was a lot of controversy surrounding The Last of Us Part II, both games were critically and commercially successful, and rushing out a third entry before it’s ready isn’t the right move. There are bound to be outside pressures from PlayStation and HBO, but it’s better that the team take some time and only commit to a third game when they know it can stand well with the first two. If that does happen, it will make the whole wait worth it. 

What’s Next for Naughty Dog?

Out of all of PlayStation’s first-party studios, none have the kind of established record that Naughty Dog does. Since becoming a PlayStation Studio in 2001, Naughty Dog has created three major franchises for the company: Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. If Naughty Dog truly is working on something new, that’s a really big deal! PS5 could really use some big, original games that aren’t just sequels or remasters, and if there’s anyone qualified to do that, it’s definitely Naughty Dog. 

Are you excited to see what’s next from Naughty Dog? Do you think we’ll see something else from the developer before The Last of Us Part III? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!