However, with Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann giving fans mixed messages over recent years, it is no wonder that a third installment remains a mystery.
When originally asked if there would be The Last of Us Part III, Druckmann simply claimed that "this could be it" when referring to the second game. In other words, there were no plans to continue the story. However, as part of a Grounded documentary on YouTube, Druckmann was then quoted saying, "it does feel like there's probably one more chapter to this story."
The writer of The Last of Us has always made it clear that he would only create another installment if he had a story to tell, rather than just making The Last of Us Part III due to its popularity. Not only that, but with Naughty Dog currently working on its brand-new IP, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, if there was to be another TLOU entry, it would be many years away from completion.
That being said, in recent weeks, Druckmann has returned with yet another update, and this time, the Naughty Dog head has revealed that the studio is currently working on two new The Last of Us games. Well, that went from nought to one hundred.
Back on 28 September, which was, incidentally, The Last of Us Day, Druckmann shared a blog post to commemorate the occasion. It was here that he announced the two brand-new projects. “Since Grounded 2, we’ve talked about the possibility of telling more stories in the world of The Last Of Us. We have a couple of very exciting new projects in very early stages – so we can’t say much about them at this point. I will tell you that both projects will expand the canon of The Last Of Us beyond Part One and Part Two,” he wrote.
He continued, "The world of The Last Of Us means a great deal to us, and we wouldn’t return to it unless we had something meaningful to say. We believe these stories are worth telling.”
So, it seems as though Druckmann was finally hit with enough inspiration to continue The Last of Us franchise. It is unclear if the upcoming projects will be a full third sequel, or standalone entries, but it is exciting news nonetheless.
Released
June 14, 2013
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
Publisher(s)
Sony
Engine
Proprietary (overall), Havok (physics)
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
No, The Last of Us Part 1 does not have crossplay
Cross Save
no
Expansions
The Last of Us: Left Behind