Neil Druckmann won't say if The Last of Us 3 is Naughty Dog's next game, but "the decision has already been made"

(Image credit: Sony)

Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has acknowledged the demand for The Last of Us Part 3, but says the studio has already made up its mind on its next big game.

In an interview with Kinda Funny, Druckmann explained at some length that he feels passion should dictate which project to tackle next. In other words, Naughty Dog is going to make the game it wants to make even if it isn't the thing fans are asking for. He specifically said he often hears from fans who want The Last of Us 3, but didn't confirm whether a potential sequel is in the works.

"That's the fire that has to sustain for years to come, and if you pick the wrong project and then you burn out on that idea because you weren't that passionate about it two years into a four year project, you're fucked. I think that's how you make mediocre anything, if you lose your excitement for it.

I know the fans really want The Last of Us Part 3, I hear about it all the time, and all I can say is we're that we're already into our next project. The decision has already been made. I can't say what it is but that's the process we went through. There's a lot of consideration of different things, and we picked the thing we're most excited for."

Of course, Druckmann seemed to be referring to the game that will launch after The Last of Us multiplayer, as that's already been confirmed. In the same interview, the director said we'll be hearing "much more" about the still untitled Last of Us multiplayer project at some point "later this year."