Despite the incredible success of The Last of Us games, its developer, Naughty Dog, might not make a third part to the story. Since the saga began in 2013, The Last of Us has been largely praised for its storytelling which followed complex, morally gray characters Joel and Ellie as they try to survive a post-apocalyptic world in the wake of a fungal cordyceps outbreak.
The Last of Us has spawned several more stories, from its Left Behind DLC and American Dreams graphic novel, which explored more of Ellie's past. The game's sequel, The Last of Us Part 2, caused more controversy in its storytelling, but was widely acclaimed by critics, and sold over four million units in its release weekend, and over ten million by June 2022. As a result, an eventual The Last of Us Part 3 felt inevitable and potentially already in the works, however, The Last of Us' writer and co-director Neil Druckmann has indicated that this might not be the case.
Sony Isn't Pressuring Naughty Dog Into Making The Last Of Us Part 3
In an interview with BuzzFeed (via VGC) the conversation naturally shifted to the future of the franchise. Naughty Dog is currently working on a multiplayer game after The Last of Us: Part 2's multiplayer mode expanded to such a massive scale that it became a standalone title with its own story and a new cast of characters, but Druckmann explained that there are no plans for a third mainline entry in the franchise.
Druckmann continued, saying if the studio can come up with a compelling story for The Last of Us Part 3 and is ionate about the project, it will make it, which seems to backtrack on previous reports that he and co-writer Halley Gross have already outlined the plot. It would appear that Naughty Dog's parent company, Sony isn't pressuring the studio into making a third part either, despite the success of The Last of Us franchise.
Naughty Dog Has Left Behind Its Other Major IP, Uncharted
Part of Druckmann's statement about Sony's of the studio confirmed that Naughty Dog has left behind its other major IP, Uncharted. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End did conclude Nathan Drake's story, and although its spin-off Uncharted: The Lost Legacy saw players following Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross and indicated that the series could continue by following other characters and again changing the protagonist for future Uncharted games, Druckmann saw A Thief's End as the "final brushstroke" on that story, and stated that Naughty Dog was "moving on," as it could do with The Last of Us' main story.
While some would be disappointed by the news that The Last of Us Part 3 might not materialize, there is the argument to be made that The Last of Us Part 2 brought Joel, Ellie, and Abby's story to its natural conclusion with Ellie breaking the cycle of revenge. Although The Last of Us Part 2 didn't have any story DLC, future stories could likely be added to the multiplayer title, and given how the HBO live-action adaptation seems to be expanding upon The Last of Us games and its characters' stories already, it's likely that Druckmann could add more story ideas to that going forward.
Sources: BuzzFeed (via VGC), PlayStation/YouTube