The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann has sent some mixed signals lately regarding the highly requested Part III final installment. The Game Director and current Naughty Dog president told fans two months ago that they shouldn’t bet on there being more The Last of Us. Inevitably, that was a tough pill to swallow, but in a new statement, he opened a small door to the possibility.
In an interview with Sacred Symbols, Druckmann said he would ‘jump’ at the opportunity to make The Last of Us Part III, but only with a story worthy of the franchise and its trademark quality.
I meant what I said in the documentary. While I am the caretaker of this franchise or whatever the right title is that Sony has entrusted me with, it’s important for me that everything is of high quality. I don’t want to just make a lot of it. I just want to be very thoughtful about everything that we make. When we made a theme park thing, we teamed up with Universal and teamed up with the best people to do that kind of Halloween haunted house, whatever you call it.
When we did the show, now we’ve teamed up, I feel like, with the best TV makers with HBO, and we’re making the best version of that. So, if we were ever to come back to it, I want to make sure that it’s a story worthy of The Last of Us. I love that world. I love these characters. With the right opportunity, with the right idea… Yeah, I would totally jump at it.
This heavily implies that the game he just confirmed he’s producing (with Shaun Escayg directing) is not The Last of Us Part III, but something else entirely. Still, we’ll have to wait some time to see exactly what Naughty Dog is cooking alongside Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet (which is being directed by Druckmann). Based on rumors, the game has been in development for around three years, and the average triple-A game development cycle nowadays ranges between five and six years.
