The Last of Us Part 3 may have just received its best and worst news in years, following a comment made by series creator Neil Druckmann regarding the future of Naughty Dog. The first two The Last of Us games were critically acclaimed for their character development and storytelling and went on to win a plethora of awards, and it had always seemed inevitable that a third entry would eventually be made, although for a while Druckmann did state that it would come down to finding the right story and explained that Sony was happy for Naughty Dog to pursue other ideas.

As part of the Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2 documentary that accompanied The Last of Us Part 2: Remastered‘s release and can now be found on Naughty Dog’s YouTube channel, Druckmann practically confirmed that The Last of Us Part 3 would be made, stating that he had recently thought up a “concept” that he considered a worthy follow-up to that of the first two titles and that “there’s probably another chapter to this story.”

Therefore, many wondered when the new title would arrive and if it would be the final chapter in a trilogy, especially considering how The Last of Us Part 2 could have also stood as an ending to the series on its own, something Druckmann himself pointed out in the documentary.

Neil Druckmann’s Talked About Naughty Dog’s Future

Could The Last Of Us Be Coming To An End?

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Druckmann talked about the future of Naughty Dog, promising that after 2 games, 2 remasters, a remake, and a TV adaptation, the studio “will not be The Last of Us studio forever,” suggesting that the series might be coming to an end. In fact, Druckmann announced that several games, including “multiple single-player projects”, are currently in development at Naughty Dog that would not be part of The Last of Us.

He did, however, stress that while they won’t all be The Last of Us titles, they will have a similar goal, as Naughty Dog intends to continue creating “experiences that are steeped in story and character, especially relationships” with a “philosophical core” that everything is going to revolve around and feed into. Considering how focused Naughty Dog has been on The Last of Us as of late, it’s exciting to hear that the studio is branching out into new projects and potentially new IPs again, even if it comes on a bittersweet note for fans of the apocalyptic franchise knowing it will be coming to an end.

Could The Last Of Us Part 3 Come Sooner Than Expected?

If Druckmann Is Looking To The Future, How Close Is The Last Of Us’ Final Chapter?

While Druckmann didn’t state how far into development The Last of Us Part 3 is, the fact that he’s already looking to future projects might suggest that it’s further along than fans expect. Modern AAA game development, on average, seems to take five years, and the Grounded 2 documentary began filming in 2016, four years before The Last of Us Part 2‘s release and covering moments as early as story meetings for the game.

Despite The Last of Us Part 2 releasing nearly four years ago, Druckmann’s comment that it took him a while to find a worthy concept for the follow-up could also suggest that players shouldn’t expect a new game next year. It was unclear at what point in development or after the game’s release the segment was recorded in which Druckmann confirmed there was another chapter, but he did point out that he’d been trying to think of one for “years.”

If this segment did come after The Last of Us Part 2‘s 2020 release and around the time of its remastered release, it could suggest that Part 3 is only just going into development, having been written, in which case Druckmann might be thinking up the story for Naughty Dog’s next IP while directing the final chapter in The Last of Us, much as he had been thinking of moments for The Last of Us Part 2 in the final days of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End‘s production.

There had previously been leaks in July 2023 that gave an idea of what The Last of Us Part 3‘s story could include, along with some potential new characters, but time will tell whether they are accurate or not. Either way, Druckmann’s comments bode well for the next chapter of the series and for Naughty Dog’s upcoming portfolio as a whole, and while it will be sad to bid The Last of Us farewell, it will be exciting to see what the studio has in store for players next.

Sources: Naughty Dog/YouTube, Los Angeles Times