Amidst swirling uncertainties about the future of The Last of Us video game series, fans are eagerly speculating on what lies ahead once HBO's series delves into the narrative of the second game in Seasons 2 and 3. Earlier this month, series creator Neil Druckmann sparked conversations by hinting that a third installment, The Last of Us 3, might not materialize, stating, "I guess the only thing I would say is don’t bet on there being more of ‘Last of Us.’ This could be it."
This raises the pivotal question: If there's no The Last of Us 3, will Naughty Dog and Druckmann continue the TV series beyond the scope of the games? During an interview with IGN on the red carpet before the premiere of The Last of Us Season 2, Druckmann addressed this query. He revealed that he has a definitive ending in mind for The Last of Us story, acknowledging the uncertainty of producing The Last of Us 3. He emphasized the importance of crafting conclusive endings, drawing parallels to his work on The Last of Us 1 and Uncharted 4, stating, "When I made The Last of Us 1, I didn’t know if there was going to be a sequel, so that had to be a definitive ending. When I worked on Uncharted 4, I don’t know if we’ll ever get to do it again. I need it to be a definitive ending. Last of Us 2, same way. All these things have to line up."
Druckmann further elaborated on his approach to storytelling, saying, "I don’t know how long I’ll keep doing this or whether I’ll be given another opportunity. So I leave nothing on the line. Right now it’s like, we have an ending in mind. And that ending will be it. That ending will be it for this story."
Another layer of complexity is Druckmann's availability to work on The Last of Us 3, even if it were greenlit. Currently, he is deeply involved in the production of the HBO series, which will cover the events of The Last of Us 2 over Seasons 2 and 3, and he is also spearheading the new PlayStation game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. He noted, "As far as everything else, and you’re asking me about future games, my time so much is, we have to finish this season. We’re not quite done. We’re almost there. Knock on wood we get to do it again. Season 3, there’s a lot more story we have to cover, as you know with game two. And then my hands are pretty full with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet."
The Last of Us Season 2 Character Posters
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In February 2024, Druckmann hinted at a potential "concept" for The Last of Us 3 at the conclusion of Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2. He reflected on the thematic essence of the series, stating, "The first game had such a clean concept of like, the unconditional love a parent feels for their child. The second one, once we landed on this idea of the pursuit of justice at any cost, justice for the ones you love, we felt like, 'there's a clean concept here and there's a throughline from the first game, about love.' If we never get to do it again, this is a fine ending point. Last bite of the apple, the story's done."
Druckmann also expressed gratitude for the creative freedom at Naughty Dog, noting, "The great thing about working at Naughty Dog is that we don't have to. It's always like, 'we would love another Last of Us, but if you guys feel you're passionate about something else, we'll support this other thing.' Very privileged position to be in, I never take that for granted. 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."
