The Last of Us has already told several major stories across its two main games, but Naughty Dog has never completely closed the door on returning to its post-apocalyptic world. The studio has spent years discussing what could come next, with the Grounded 2 documentary 2 years ago offering some of the clearest insight into how Naughty Dog views the future of the franchise. Now, a new official statement gives fans another minor update on The Last of Us Part 3.
Naughty Dog has previously been careful about any statements for the IP beyond The Last of Us Part 2, presumably because of the way that The Last of Us Factions Online was canceled. The studio has discussed the possibility of more stories in the world, but a third mainline game has never been formally announced, yet that hasn't stopped Naughty Dog from discussing the next part of its story.
For Last of Us Day, which also included new PlayStation freebies and an upcoming discount on Steam, Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann commented on its next Last of Us games. The studio has now confirmed that two new projects are in very early stages, and both will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part 1 and Part 2. Naughty Dog says it cannot reveal much about either project yet, but the statement confirms that more stories are being developed within the franchise. As Druckmann stated,
"We have a couple of very exciting new [Last of Us] projects in very early stages, so we can’t say much about them at this point. I will tell you that both projects will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part I and Part II. The world of The Last of Us means a great deal to us, and we wouldn’t return to it unless we had something meaningful to say. We believe these stories are worth telling."
پێش ئەوەی تایمەرەکە بگاتە سفر، ئەوی نامۆ بدۆزەرەوە.
The wording is notable because Naughty Dog is talking about multiple stories, not simply teasing one potential continuation of either Ellie or Abby's story in The Last of Us. It's also possible that this is not referring to games, at least not both projects, but Naughty Dog knows its audience is clamoring for more.
The Last of Us Part 3, or what is spiritually part 3, is all but confirmed to be one of them, but Naughty Dog has not gone further than this acknowledgment. After all, it's been over 6 years since The Last of Us 2 was released in 2020, so fans are in need of a new game that is not a remaster or remake. And at the very least, these projects are all about expanding the world of The Last of Us.
Ultimately, Naughty Dog has confirmed that the Last of Us franchise has more stories in development. What shape those take remains to be seen, and if they can live up to what came before is up in the air, but fingers crossed that the franchise continues after Naughty Dog releases Intergalactic in 2027.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://gamerant.com/new-last-us-game-nd-statement-early-stages/
