Amid uncertainties about the future of the *The Last of Us* video game series, fans eagerly anticipate where the narrative might head after HBO's adaptation covers the events of the second game in Seasons 2 and 3. Earlier this month, series creator Neil Druckmann cast doubt on the likelihood of *The Last of Us 3*, 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 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? When IGN posed this question to Druckmann at the premiere of *The Last of Us* Season 2, he shared that he has a definitive ending in mind for the *The Last of Us* story. Druckmann emphasized the importance of crafting conclusive endings, a principle he applied to *The Last of Us Part I*, *Uncharted 4*, and *The Last of Us Part II*. He stated, “I have to have an ending... 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's uncertainty about his future involvement and the possibility of creating *The Last of Us 3* stems from his current commitments. He is deeply engaged with the ongoing production of the TV series, which will conclude the narrative of *The Last of Us Part II* in Seasons 2 and 3, and is also working on the newly announced PlayStation game, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*. Druckmann 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* during the end of *Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2*. He remarked, "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 highlighted the flexibility and support he receives at Naughty Dog, saying, "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."
