Since it was first released back in 2013, The Last of Us has steadily become a household name. Taking the zombie genre and turning it on its head by telling the heartbreaking story of a father/daughter duo trying to survive in a world out to get them, Naughty Dog presented players with intense action and an emotional narrative in one.

Followed by a sequel, The Last of Us Part II, back in 2020, as well as multiple remasters, The Last of Us also went on to inspire an award-winning HBO television adaptation starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay as the lead roles. However, with a lull between seasons and the recent cancellation of The Last of Us Online, fans have started to wonder what is next for the franchise.

Since the launch of The Last of Us Part II, speculation as to whether a third installment will ever come to fruition has been ongoing, and rumors have not been helped by Naughty Dog head Neil Druckmann. After claiming “this could be it” when it comes to TLOU Part II being the final installment, Druckmann then changed his mind after speaking on the Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II documentary. It was here that he said: “I’ve been thinking, “is there a concept there?” And, for years, I haven’t been able to find that concept, but recently, that has changed. I don’t have a story, but I do have that concept. To me, it’s as exciting as [The Last of Us Part 1] and [The Last of Us Part II], it is its own thing, and it has this “through line” for all three. And so it does feel like there is probably one more chapter to the story”.

So, whether there will be The Last of Us Part III remains a mystery, at least according to Naughty Dog. However, according to well-known insider DanielRPK, The Last of Us Part III is reportedly in development, and is set to be the third release following Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and Uncharted 5.

At the moment, we know that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is Naughty Dog’s current project and next release. However, both The Last of Us Part III and Uncharted 5 have never been officially confirmed. As such, it is worth taking this news with a pinch of salt, but it has not stopped fans from sharing their thoughts over on r/GamingLeaksAndRumors.

“Why would people be excited to know the next ND project if they are going to take 8+ years to ship a game?” One user asked. Another said, “From my understanding, it’s likely that Druckmann will jump on TLOU3 after Intergalactic is done anyway. The question is who will herald Intergalactic 2 if that’s a success, since ND’s game after that is clearly Uncharted 5.”

At the moment, the future of both The Last of Us and Uncharted franchises are currently unknown, but with many fans calling for the continuation of both, Naughty Dog has the whole world waiting.

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