Now that season 3 of the TV show is on the way, we’re all waiting to see if Naughty Dog decides to make The Last of Us 3. Neil Druckmann has ideas for another installment, and the HBO adaptation’s showrunner, Craig Mazin, knows what they are, but he’s staying coy about the possibilities.
Speaking to BAFTA on the back of the third season, Mazin was asked about where Druckmann's at in terms of Part 3. He revealed it's all in discussion, though whether any decisions have been made is beyond him at present.
"I am familiar with some concepts that Neil has kicked around for a potential third game. I don't know if he's zeroed in on one of them," he explains, adding that although he'd like Part 3 to happen, he also thinks maybe less is more. "Sometimes I think, maybe you should just be happy. Don't be sad it's over, be happy that it happened at all!"
He goes on to gush over Naughty Dog's abilities as a studio, especially in regards to narrative work. Between Uncharted and The Last of Us, the outfit is a standard-bearer for engrossing, cinematic games, each of the latter's two installments so far hitting especially hard.
Druckmann himself has gone back and forth on the status of another chapter. He mentioned during Grounded: The Making of The Last of Us Part 2 that there's "probably" one more outing for Joel and Ellie. However, in March of this year, he told people not to expect Part 3 and suggested that the HBO show might be where The Last of Us concludes completely.
As strong as the desire for another chapter of The Last of Us is, Part 2 gave us a neat ending, and perhaps we should be satisfied with that. Naughty Dog has already teed up its next venture with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a cosmic project centered around a bounty hunter millennia from now.
Honestly, the premise of Intergalactic suggests the development team would like to get away from Earth, Nathan Drake, and the Cordyceps for a while. Mazin adds he'll be there to play whatever Naughty Dog puts on shelves. "I'll be there on day one to play Intergalactic. If there's another Uncharted, I'll play it. If there's another Last of Us, I'll play it," he finishes.
Our guide on The Last of Us season 3 will keep you informed on when you might see that crawl onto our screens.
