The Last of Us 3 is actually set to happen, as was revealed by Neil Druckmann, co-creator of the series.
The Last of Us 3 is apparently happening. Neil Druckmann revealed this in Grounded II, a documentary on the making of The Last of Us Part 2.
The documentary ends with Druckmann talking about a possible third game, which he originally didn't plan to make. The Last of Us 2 felt like "a fine ending point", which we have to agree on.
The series would only continue if there was a concept that would be good enough to justify a sequel. "For years", he reveals, "I haven't been able to find that". However, it looks like he found it now and that "there is probably one more chapter to this story".
The Last of Us 3: Neil Druckmann Confirms He Is Working On It
Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann already mentioned a potential The Last of Us Part 3 in the Script Apart podcast in 2021. A possible story for a sequel to Part 2 has apparently already been outlined by Druckmann and his co-author, Halley Gross.
Now it sounds like that idea was shelved for whatever new idea the writer has come up with. He didn't reveal what that might be, but went on to say that the concept is "its own thing". However, there is apparently a through line connecting the first two games and this new concept.
With the story not clearly formulated yet, and other projects also in the works, we shouldn't expect the whole team to rush straight into the sequel. Obviously, Naughty Dog wants to give the game a little room to breathe. But The Last of Us 3 seems to actually be happening.
When Could A The Last Of Us Part 3 Release?
There have been rumors about The Last of Us Part 3 being in development, but none of them can be confirmed. But even if The Last of Us Part 3 becomes reality, It will still take a while until we will finally see the game, though. Naughty Dog has some other titles in development (see more on that further below), and continuing the story after Part 2 would be extremely difficult.
Neil Druckmann revealed before that it was trickier to find the emotional core of the story in Part 2 than in The Last of Us Part I due to the experiences and previous knowledge of the players. So it will be even more difficult to grab the fans emotionally and to bring innovations in The Last of Us Part 3.
The original Last of Us was released in 2013 and Part II was released 7 years later in 2020, so we imagine a third game would take around the same time. We think 2029 at the earliest for a release. We have to be patient a little longer. But it's still fun to speculate, so let's do that!
How The Story Could Continue In The Last of Us Part 3
Attention! You can expect spoilers about The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II in the following section.
In the second game, Ellie was looking for revenge for Joel's murder and had to handle her relationship with her girlfriend Dina. Those who played the game will know that a lot of things were left unanswered: Ellie left Abby alive, and Dina vanished after Ellie ignored her pleas to stay.
So there is plenty of room for a continuation with Ellie as the main character again, which would certainly be the wish of many players as well. And it's a sure-bet that Abby will be included again. There may even be a third main character, with a new personal story.
In The Last of Us Part 3, the story could come full circle. The Last of Us 2 was primarily about the conflict between Ellie and Abby and their respective struggles to come to terms with a personal loss. The Cordyceps pandemic, on the other hand, was rarely discussed.
This higher story strand will probably be concluded in Part 3. And the template already exists: Abby could take over her father's legacy and develop the vaccine, and Ellie carries the antibody. So Ellie could still complete what Joel once couldn't bring himself to do. This would also follow a certain order, which would be: love, revenge, redemption (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). Especially when Ellie and Abby have to cooperate. That offers a lot of potential for exciting conflicts! If you ask me, I hope that Naughty Dog will go for a happy ending.
Other Projects From Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog is a very busy studio, working on multiple projects at the same time. Until recently, they worked on the multiplayer spin-off for The Last of Us, which has been canceled.
One of the most persistent rumors regarding Naughty Dog is that the studio is working on a Fantasy-themed game. This fantasy game was seemingly teased in the TLOU Part 1 remake. But again, this has just been rumors and leaks so far. Therefore, enjoy this with a healthy pinch of salt.