THIS ARTICLE HAS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US FRANCHISE

The Last of Us Joel actor Troy Baker is going to be in Naughty Dog‘s next game, which means it’s most likely not The Last of Us 3. Naughty Dog has not officially announced its next project beyond the fact that it exists. Speculation has been running rampant about what the game may be, with some assuming that the studio’s next game will be a third installment in The Last of Us franchise.

Rumors have been swirling about a potential Last of Us 3 for quite some time. Rumors point to the new game following a mostly-new cast of characters alongside a returning Ellie, but nothing official has been confirmed by Naughty Dog at the time of this writing. The confirmation that Troy Baker is in Naughty Dog’s next game casts doubt on it being The Last of Us 3, though.

GQ recently confirmed that Troy Baker is reuniting with Naughty Dog for the studio’s next project. Baker famously played Joel in The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2, but since the character was killed off at the beginning of the latter game, it’s highly unlikely that he will be returning for the third installment – unless it’s through flashbacks or something of that nature, of course. Baker could also be playing a completely different character in The Last of Us universe, though that would be an odd casting choice. The more likely scenario is that Naughty Dog’s next game is not associated with The Last of Us and is something completely different.

Naughty Dog is Rumored to Be Making a Sci-Fi Game

Rumors over the years have suggested that Naughty Dog is making an original IP, potentially called Stray’s Cross, and that it might have a sci-fi or steampunk setting with a first-person perspective. Nothing official about the rumored project has been revealed to date, and so fans should take that information with a massive grain of salt. But it would make more sense for Troy Baker to appear in an original IP from Naughty Dog than a third Last of Us game.

Another possibility is that Baker is set to reprise his role from another Naughty Dog franchise. As fans may recall, Baker portrayed Sam Drake in the Uncharted series, appearing in both Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy standalone expansion. Maybe a new Uncharted featuring Sam Drake is in the works, though that’s just speculation at this time. It does seem like an original IP is the most likely scenario.

If Naughty Dog’s next game is not The Last of Us 3, it’s understandable that franchise fans may be upset. After all, The Last of Us multiplayer game was canceled, leaving franchise fans without any new game releases to look forward to. On the bright side, The Last of Us HBO series is coming back for Season 2 in spring of next year, so fans can look forward to that, at least.