Bad news for many fans of The Last of Us. Neil Druckmann, President of Naughty Dog, has confirmed that a third installment in the successful Survival series is not currently in development. In a recent interview explained Druckmann said that while he never loses sight of the creative possibilities, no new chapter is planned for the story of Joel and Ellie.
Instead, the studio is currently concentrating on its new, promising project Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophetwhich will be released in the coming years. A second team at Naughty Dog is also working on a secret project under the direction of Shaun Escayg. Fans are hoping for a brand new Uncharted adventure.
The end of the story?
Druckmann is known for his passionate approach to projects. For him, every new game is like the last one he wants to develop. He has already demonstrated this attitude with The Last of Us from the very beginning. The story was deliberately given a clear ending that provides an emotional conclusion. Even with Uncharted 4 this approach was evident when the studio brought the popular action hero Nathan Drake to a worthy conclusion. For Druckmann, the conclusion of a story not only has creative reasons, but also a deeper meaning. They don't want to drag out the audience unnecessarily or disappoint them with contrived sequels. The desire to arrive at a well-rounded narrative is clearly recognizable here.
Despite this sobering realization that The Last of Us Part 3 is not currently planned, this does not mean that the story of the series has to be buried for good. For fans, there is still the possibility that the story will be continued in the form of the HBO series. It was only confirmed yesterday, Wednesday, that HBO has officially the third season of The Last of Us has orderedeven if this initially picks up on the later events from Part 2. This perspective could be an interesting option for fans who want to explore the deep characters and world of The Last of Us want to continue to follow without having to play a game.
The future of The Last of Us as a series?
What should come as a relief to many, however, is the fact that Naughty Dog enjoys enormous creative freedom at Sony. Sony doesn't force the studio to make sequels, but lets Druckmann and his team make their own decisions - and that's one of Naughty Dog's greatest strengths. This freedom allows the developers to experiment with fresh ideas and concepts rather than clinging to existing franchises.
The current focus is clearly on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophetwhich will be published in the next few years. Druckmann also emphasizes that there is no elaborate concept for a The Last of Us Part 3 which makes his decision to take on new challenges all the more understandable. But who knows, perhaps the story will be continued at some point in a form that is not tied to another game.
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