The Last of Us 3: Naughty Dog has concept for “one more chapter”

thesixthaxis.com:

If you were hoping Naughty Dog would spill the beans on The Last of Us 3 in its newest documentary, then we’ve got bad news. Hot on the heels of their The Last of Us 2 PS5 remaster, the studio has released a two-hour behind-the-scenes video that looks at how the gritty survival horror sequel was made.

Exploring just about every aspect of the game’s development, it features interviews with key Naughty Dog staff including director, Neil Druckmann. He confirms that while The Last of Us 3 may not be in active development, he has a concept for the game that could tie the trilogy together.

He admits that for years he hadn’t been able to find that concept, “but recently that’s changed.”

I don’t have a story, but I do have that concept. That, to me, is as exciting as one, as exciting as two, is its own thing, yet has this through line for all 3. So it does feel like… there’s probably one more chapter to this story.

And that’s where the documentary ends. It could be a long while before we catch our first glimpse at The Last of Us 3 or get those initial plot details. Although the sequel’s ending holds clues for where Naughty Dog could potentially go next, the prized PlayStation studio has a habit of defying expectations.

However long fans have to wait for that first little nugget of news, it will be made all the more painful after recent headlines. In case you missed it, the plugged was pulled on The Last of Us Online – a bold evolution of Factions that will never see the light of day. The scope of the project meant that Naughty Dog would have to pull resources from other projects and essentially become a live service orientated studio, a pivot the team weren’t willing to make.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. You can still play Factions via The Last of Us Remastered on PS4/PS5 and it still holds up pretty well. A second series of the award-winning HBO television show is also coming next year.