Naughty Dog Boss Interview Squashes Possibility of The Last of Us Part 3

Neil Druckmann’s interview with Variety revealed that the Naughty Dog Boss does not expect another The Last of Us game to be made, even telling the interviewer not to bet on it.

With a new season of The Last of Us coming to HBO, an interview with Variety reveals new information about the show as well as Druckmann’s thoughts on it. As the interview progressed, Druckmann was asked about the possibility of a third The Last of Us game.

“I guess the only thing I would say is don’t bet on there being more of ‘Last of Us.’ This could be it,” he told the interviewer. This information follows suit with Druckmann’s appearance at DICE Summit where he mentioned that the confidence to make sequels is not something that he has.

Druckmann previously mentioned in 2021 that The Last of Us Part 3 already has a story outline. However, he emphasized that the game isn’t in development and that the studio will need to look at their options first before committing. “I like to fully explore all of those, and then look at, okay, we have all of these ideas in front of us. As a studio, what do we want to commit to? Because it’s a huge commitment — monetary, time, passion, talent, so you think about all the opportunity costs that come with that.”

In an interview with BuzzFeed in 2023, Druckmann said that The Last of Us Part 3 will only be made if the team can “come up with a compelling story that has this universal message and statement about love.”

However, it seems the Variety interview is intended to put the final nail in the coffin regarding whether The Last of Us Part 3 will ever be made.

The Last of Us Part 2 was released in 2020 for the PlayStation 4. The game was universally acclaimed, according to Metacritic. A PlayStation 5 version was released in January 2024, which allowed fans to upgrade their PlayStation 4 version if they have a PlayStation 5. A PC version of the game is slated to be released in April this year.”