Naughty Dog is proud of its cult licenses but does not intend to continue their stories if it is not necessary.
These last weeks, The Last of Us is on everyone’s lips. HBO’s adaptation is facing such a big hit that it’s setting new records and even rekindling interest in the original game. The bar is now very high for the next films and series inspired by video games. Will the Super Mario movie manage to follow this revival? Answer on April 5th. In the meantime, the adventures of Joel and Ellie still have many surprises in store for us with seven chapters remaining. Some are longer than others and correspond to key moments in the game.
The Naughty Dog title already has a second part that is just waiting to be adapted too, but what about a potential episode 3? For the moment, a massively multiplayer game is in preparation in the studios, and will reveal a new part of this post-apocalyptic universe. In this spin-off, there is no question of repeating the story told in the first two titles. In 2021, the studio revealed that The Last of Us: Part III already had its script plan even if nothing was set in stone.
Unfortunately for fans of the license, this project is not guaranteed to become reality. Naughty Dog attaches importance to its universes and does not intend to release a sequel if it is deemed unnecessary. Interviewed by BuzzFeed as part of the broadcast of the series, the studio’s co-president Neil Druckmann gives his reservations about the future of the franchise…
All good things come to an end
Players dream of a new episode, but Naughty Dog does not rush headlong. Asked about a hypothetical chapter 3, Druckmann did not have reassuring words. According to him, the success of the franchise absolutely does not guarantee the development of a new episode. The team’s goal is to tell strong stories that must end at the right time, like Uncharted, as the studio’s co-president explains:
“For us, Uncharted has proven to be successful. Uncharted 4 was one of our best-selling titles, and we got to put the finishing touches on that story to say we were done. And we moved on.“
To guarantee a The Last of Us Part III, it is therefore necessary that the development teams are sufficiently satisfied with the project to carry it out. “Continuing The Last of Us is entirely up to us. Our process is the same as we did for Part 2. If we find an engaging story with a universal message that we love to share, like the first two games, then we’ll tell that story.” added Druckmann, wanting to be a little more positive.
Even if there is still hope, the co-president reminds us that the adventure could still end there:
“If we can’t find anything, we already have a very strong ending with The Last of Us Part II and that will be the definitive conclusion.“
To get to the bottom of it, it will therefore be necessary to be patient. Fans can already console themselves with the episodes of the series broadcast every Monday on Amazon Prime Video in our green regions.
