Will Naughty Dog’s Next Game Be ‘The Last Of Us Part 3’?

We are one day away from the premiere of The Last of Us on HBO, which is about to be released with some of the best reviews for a freshman season of any show on that channel. Given the quality of past HBO offerings, that’s saying something.

My theory is that the plan here is to turn The Last of Us not into just a video game phenomenon, but a cultural phenomenon, and as such, that will mean that Naughty Dog’s next major game (outside of something like Factions) is in fact going to be The Last of Us Part 3. Here’s what I think will happen:

• The Last of Us season 1, covering the first game – Arrives in early 2023
• The Last of Us season 2, covering half the second game – Arrives in early-mid 2024
• The Last of Us season 3, covering the other half of the second game – Arrives in mid-late 2025
• The Last of Us Part 3 arrives in 2026 on PlayStation 5, in time for a 1-2 season adaptation for HBO starting in 2026 as well.

Evidence for all this? I mean, nothing concrete, or else that would be news, but Neil Druckmann has talked about the script for the game in the past. This was back in April 2021:

“I don’t know how much I want to reveal… [co-writer Halley Gross] and I did write an outline for a story, that we’re not making – but I hope one day can see the light of day – that explores a little bit what happens after this game. We’ll see.”

The game was not in development then, but that was over a year and a half ago, and things can change. Now, in the run-up to the release of The Last of Us on HBO, Druckmann has said outright that there’s “more story to tell” and that he’s structuring the writer’s room of his next game like a TV show. That would be helpful for a game that you are planning to…adapt into a TV show, no doubt.

And the timing works. The Last of Us was out in June 2013. The Last of Us Part 2 was out in June 2020, but that was with Uncharted 4 and Uncharted Lost Legacy being made in between that. So sure, a potential 2026 release date for The Last of Us Part 3 lines up pretty well, and would align with the apparent plans for the HBO show as well. That’s what I have to believe is happening here.

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