The Last of Us 3 Is Probably Further Off Than Anyone Thought Now
It's been almost a year since The Last of Us 2 was first released, and many fans still can't stop gushing about the highest awarded video game of all time. The Last of Us 2 is one of Naughty Dog's most successful games to date, both critically and commercially, and it's no surprise that fans are eager to know when they can get their hands on The Last of Us 3.
The ending of The Last of Us 2 was quite ambiguous, and it left plenty of room for a sequel. Hardcore fans are already speculating about the direction Naughty Dog could stir the narrative in The Last of Us 3. While this sounds pretty exciting, there's no doubt that this much-demanded sequel is years away from its release. No one expects it tomorrow, this year, or even next, but recent rumblings could suggest it's even further away than some think.
Naughty Dog's recent job listings seem to indicate that the studio is currently working on multiple projects. One of them is the upcoming multiplayer expansion for The Last of Us 2. The faction mode in The Last of Us is still widely popular among fans, and many were disappointed with its absence in The Last of Us 2 at launch. Naughty Dog was recently looking for an Economy Designer for its multiplayer project, which indicated that this could be a more ambitious live-service game.
Needless to say, the multiplayer expansion isn't the only project Naughty Dog is currently working on. According to a recent report, Naughty Dog is also working on The Last of Us Remake. That's two major pieces of content right there, plus anything fans may be unaware of. Chances are, Naughty Dog's future is about to be dominated by the franchise but not necessarily The Last of Us 3.
Naughty Dog was also reportedly helping Sony Bend with an Uncharted game, though that has seemingly been cancelled. Uncharted is a massive IP, and it's unlikely for Sony to abandon it, especially given how Uncharted 4's ending leaves plenty of room for a sequel. However, the future of it remains nebulous. All of this is to say past and present have been rather booked, and the future looks quite the same.
An HBO TV series focusing on the events of The Last of Us is also in development and has been under the spotlight for quite some time now. The show stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, and Gabriel Luna as Tommy, and is being helmed by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog's very own Neil Druckmann. The TV adaptation will reportedly start filming from July 5, 2021, to June 8, 2022. While a release date hasn't been confirmed, the HBO series is not likely to air until fall 2022 if the filming isn't hindered by the ongoing pandemic.
The Last of Us is one of PlayStation's most prestigious IP, and it's no doubt that Sony is putting a lot of money into the HBO series. The TV show will seemingly introduce the franchise to a whole new set of audiences, and these new fans will have plenty to look forward to in The Last of Us universe, especially with The Last of Us Remake now apparently happening. With The Last of Us TV series, The Last of Us Remake, and The Last of Us 2 multiplayer all releasing over the course of the next few years, both old and new fans will have a fair share of The Last of Us content to gobble. This could lead to franchise fatigue and adversely affect The Last of Us 3 if it happens to release close to these other releases.
Most AAA games take 3-4 years of development time, and Naughty Dog is no different. With game development becoming more complex with every generation, the time taken to develop these massive AAA games would only go up. Naughty Dog released Uncharted 4: A Thief's End back in 2016, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy in 2017, and The Last of Us 2 in 2020. If Naughty Dog continues this pattern, the studio's next big game won't see the day of light until 2023, and that's ignoring a lot of the current ongoings. In other words, it could very well be quite some time before Naughty Dog takes the Last of Us story any further.
At this point, the chances of the next full-blown game being The Last of Us Remake or the rumored brand new IP Stray Cross is relatively high compared to The Last of Us 3.
Addressing the elephant in the room, it's no surprise that the world has been severely affected by the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak. Video game releases during this period have seen massive sales success; however, game development has been affected immensely, with most companies forced to work from their home. The Last of Us 2 was delayed three times last year due to the pandemic, and it wouldn't be surprising if all of Naughty Dog's future projects end up getting delayed as well.
The Last of Us 2 multiplayer project may not even release until 2022, and as Naughty Dog continues its silence over the matter, this seems more feasible every passing day. In a situation like this, The Last of Us 3 dropping in the next few years, if at all, feels unlikely, given the work from home cycle and the ongoing pandemic continuous ferociously.
The Last of Us 2 is a testament to modern AAA games. Its intriguingly complex cast of characters and their motives, the philosophy behind its narrative, solid gameplay, and impeccable visuals have set the bar unprecedently high for The Last of Us 3. The Last of Us games have served as a befitting conclusion to the past two PlayStation generations, and The Last of Us 3 could do the same with the PS5 era. But for that to happen, the game needs a much more diligent development cycle with a lot of time in the oven, if it needs to surpass the insanely high expectations set by The Last of Us 2.
The Last of Us 3 is not known to be in development.
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