Naughty Dog May Not Work on The Last of Us Part 3, Neil Druckmann Suggests

The Last of Us Part 2 might not get a sequel, Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann has suggested. According to him, there might not be more The Last of Us games, despite previously saying he had a concept for The Last of Us Part 3. Druckmann has often hinted at another entry in the acclaimed franchise, but his latest retreat comes after Naughty Dog confirmed it had been working on a brand-new franchise. The studio revealed Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a sci-fi action-adventure title for PS5, in December.

Druckmann on The Last of Us Part 3

Druckmann's comments came in an interview about The Last of Us season 2 with Variety published Wednesday. The Naughty Dog boss discussed the second season of the hit HBO adaptation of the game series, which is set to premiere on April 13. While Druckmann discussed casting choices for the upcoming season, story changes in the show and more in the wide-ranging interview, he also touched upon on the prospect of making The Last of Us Part 3.

“I was waiting for this question,” Druckmann said when asked about a possible third game in the series. “I guess the only thing I would say is don't bet on there being more of ‘Last of Us.' This could be it.”

His latest comments are a departure from his previous statements on a potential third The Last of Us game. In a documentary covering the making of The Last of Us Part 2 released last year, Druckmann had said he finally had a concept for a third game.

“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. 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 had said about a potential The Last of Us Part 3.

Naughty Dog had also been working on The Last of Us Online, a multiplayer title set in the post-apocalyptic world of game. But the studio cancelled the title in December 2023 and instead chose to focus on single-player projects.

At The Game Awards 2024 in December, the Sony-owned studio finally revealed Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, its first new IP in nearly two decades. The sci-fi title has been in development for the PS5 since 2020, Druckmann confirmed at the time of the game's reveal. “This game is shaping up to be our wildest, most creative story yet,” he had said.

The last mainline game in The Last of Us franchise was The Last of Us Part 2, released for the PS4 in 2020. Since then, Naughty Dog has launched a remake of The Last of Us and a remaster of Part 2 on the PS5.