As fans eagerly anticipate the next chapter in the acclaimed *The Last of Us* video game series, questions swirl about its future following the conclusion of the narrative in the HBO series' upcoming Seasons 2 and 3, which will adapt the events of the second game. Earlier this month, Neil Druckmann, the mastermind behind the series, hinted at the potential end of the saga, 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 statement raises an intriguing question: If there's no *The Last of Us 3*, will Naughty Dog and Druckmann extend the TV show beyond the video game storyline? Addressing this during an interview with IGN at the premiere of Season 2, Druckmann emphasized his approach to storytelling. He explained, "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 focus on conclusive storytelling stems from the uncertainty of future projects. He elaborated, "I don’t know how long I’ll keep doing this or whether I’ll be given another opportunity. So I leave nothing on the line. Right now it’s like, we have an ending in mind. And that ending will be it. That ending will be it for this story."
The possibility of *The Last of Us 3* seems further complicated by Druckmann's current commitments. In addition to overseeing the completion of Seasons 2 and 3 of the HBO series, which will cover the entirety of the second game's events, he is also deeply involved in the development of 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
3 Images
Despite his uncertain statements, Druckmann teased a potential concept for *The Last of Us 3* during a February 2024 discussion at the end of *Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2*. He shared, "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."
Reflecting on the creative freedom at Naughty Dog, Druckmann added, "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."
