Recently, Neil Druckman gave an interview for Variaty, along with the series’ screenwriter, Craig Mazin, and in the wake of the upcoming premiere of the second season of the popular Max series. In it, the also Naughty Dog co-president shared details about the third installment of The Last of Us. For those enthusiasts, they will probably be disappointed to learn that, in his own words, there is no guarantee that it will ever see the light of day. On the subject, the creative director noted, “I was waiting for this question. I guess the only thing I would say is don’t bet on there being more The Last of Us.”
The Last of Us may not return
While the news sows doubt about the possible return of the franchise, historically people involved in the medium, and having such an important position, are usually quite reserved with this kind of news. We don’t have a definite no, so there could still be a chance to see the long-awaited return of The Last of Us to PlayStation.
For now the studio is focused on the recently announced Intergalactic, so don’t expect to see a third installment of The Last of Us any time soon, especially considering development times, which are getting longer and longer, as well as costs. Also, for many years now, Naughty Dog has been known for being one of the most important video game studios in history, maintaining a high rate of quality in each of their franchises. This is another indicator that they will prioritize their new title before thinking about releasing something else.
In addition, let’s remember that last year they had to cancel the ambitious multiplayer project of The Last of Us, after several years in development. This could have been a hard blow, both for the studio and for the franchise in general, and they made the difficult decision to focus more on their new title.
The Last of Us marked a before and after in the history of video games, since its release in 2013. The deep narrative; the character development, accompanied by admirable voice work and performances; the music; the state-of-the-art graphics at the end of life of the PS3; a fluid and fun gameplay. These and more qualities gathered in this videogame made the franchise to be made into a series and managed to reach one of the most important production companies in the world, such as HBO, now Max, and becoming an international success.
The Last of Us had a second installment, no less relevant than the first, and involved in controversies that divided opinions among the gaming community. Even so, the studio maintained the quality shown in the first installment, managing to win the Game of the Year category at the 2020 Game Awards. The ending of this second part might not be so conclusive for some people, so it could give rise to further development of the main characters. And not only that, but the world they built is so vast that it could well lend itself to a new story, with new characters.
For now we have to wait, enjoy their new IP, such as Intergalactic, and wait for the results of the new series. Let’s remember that since its inception it was involved in controversy, from the choice of casting, to the changes in the narrative of the original game. Despite this conversation around the game, the quality was maintained and the specialized critics named it as one of the best series of the year at the Emmy Awards 2023.
