Future The Last of Us games will incorporate elements from the HBO show

The Last of Us HBO show will have an impact on future games in the series, says Neil Druckmann.

The first season of The Last of Us came to a dramatic and emotional conclusion this week, and it's fair to say that the live-action adaptation has won the hearts of longtime fans of the series as well as those who've never played the games. While the show stuck closely to the source material for the most part, there are differences between the two, and according to Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann, future The Last of Us games will incorporate elements from the show.

In an interview with El Español (thanks, Thegamespoof), Druckmann said, "If we ever revisit them in game form, which remains to be seen, there are definitely elements that I'm going to take from the series that would apply to the games."

Druckmann didn't specify what exactly these "elements" would be, although one possibility is that he's referring to cordyceps, which work differently in the show. As we've seen in the live-action version, the infection isn't spread by spores but by tendrils which connect infected beings to one another through an underground network.  

The below contains spoilers for The Last of Us episode 9, so look away now if you've yet to watch it. 

He could also be referring to details about Ellie's past. In The Last of Us Part 1, we learn fairly quickly that Ellie is immune, but why is never explained. In the show's most recent episode, we see Anna, Ellie's mum, get bitten by an infected just before giving birth. This results in Ellie producing, as Marlene puts it, "a kind of chemical messenger" that makes the cordyceps think she's already infected, thus rendering her immune. With players still in the dark over Ellie's unique position, Druckmann could incorporate this same scenario into a future game. 

Of course, it's all just speculation for now, and it's also worth keeping in mind that Naughty Dog hasn't even said for sure that it plans to make another game. According to Druckmann, the studio's next game has already been decided, but he wouldn't confirm if this is, in fact, The Last of Us Part 3. What we do know for certain, though, is that the developer is working on a Last of Us multiplayer spin-off. Details so far are thin on the ground, though according to Druckmann, we'll hear "much more" about it later this year. 

Check out our guide to upcoming PS5 games for all the best titles making their way to Sony's new-gen console.