As fans eagerly await the next steps for *The Last of Us* following the conclusion of the HBO series' coverage of the second game in Seasons 2 and 3, uncertainty looms over the future of the video game series. Neil Druckmann, the series creator, recently stoked these concerns by hinting that *The Last of Us 3* might not materialize, 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 extend the TV show beyond the games? Addressing this at the premiere of *The Last of Us* Season 2, Druckmann revealed that he has a definitive ending in mind for the entire story. He emphasized the importance of closure, drawing parallels with his approach to previous projects like *The Last of Us 1* and *Uncharted 4*, where each game needed to stand as a complete story, regardless of future sequels.
"I have to have an ending," Druckmann affirmed. "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."
Despite having an ending planned, Druckmann's availability for *The Last of Us 3* remains uncertain due to his commitments to the TV show and the newly announced PlayStation game, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*. "As far as everything else, and you’re asking me about future games, my time so much is, we have to finish this season," he said. "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
In February 2024, Druckmann hinted at a potential direction for *The Last of Us 3* during the *Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2* documentary. He discussed the thematic continuity across the series, noting that while *The Last of Us 1* focused on the unconditional love a parent feels for their child, *The Last of Us 2* explored the pursuit of justice at any cost. He suggested that if there's to be a third game, it should have a similarly compelling concept.
"The first game had such a clean concept of like, the unconditional love a parent feels for their child," Druckmann explained. "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 expressed gratitude for the creative freedom at Naughty Dog, where the team isn't pressured to continue a successful series if they're passionate about other projects. He shared that after years of searching, he recently found a new concept for *The Last of Us 3* that he believes could be as exciting as the first two games, suggesting there might be "one more chapter to this story."
