It'll be a fair bit of time until we catch even a whiff of The Last of Us Part 3, but it seems like the gears are already turning over at Naughty Dog for a potential sequel to The Last of Us Part 2.
Reported by IGN, series writer and director Neil Druckmann pondered on the future of the popular PlayStation series toward the end of the Grounded 2: Making of The Last of Us Part 2 documentary. Druckmann speaks on the finality of Part 2, stating that: "If we never get to do it again, this is a fine ending point. Last bite of the apple, the story's done."
However, Druckmann also seems to imply something of a 'never say never' attitude, confirming that he already has some ideas for a potential The Last of Us Part 3.
"I've been just thinking about it, 'is there a concept there?' And for now years, I haven't been able to find that concept," says Druckmann concerning a future third entry in the series.
"But recently, that's changed, and I don't have a story, but I do have that concept that to me is as exciting as 1, as exciting as 2, is its own thing, and yet has this throughline for all three. So it does feel like there's probably one more chapter to this story."
Druckmann also poured cold water on the idea of The Last of Us Part 3 focusing on Joel's brother, Tommy, stating that reports on the matter were "actually wrong."
"It was always a small story, it was never a full title," Druckmann clarifies. "At the time, we had higher priorities at Naughty Dog to fix our pipeline, to fix work-life balance issues. Just based on where we were, I didn't want to prioritize the story, so that story was shelved. And I still believe one day, it'll see the light of day. I don't know if it'll be a game or a show, tbd."
Whether Tommy's story does end up as part of The Last of Us Part 3, or a potential side plot for the TV show or otherwise, remains up in the air. All we know for certain is that series fans have an appetite for a third entry in the post-apocalyptic series; we'll just have to wait and see if Naughty Dog can grow anything beyond this extremely early conceptual stage.
For more top PS5 picks, consider checking out our guide to the best PS5 games and best PSVR 2 games to discover your next gaming fix.
