If There Is No The Last of Us 3, Would Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann Keep the TV Show Going Past the Games?

Amid swirling uncertainties about the future of the beloved *The Last of Us* video game series, fans are eagerly speculating on where the narrative might venture next, especially after HBO's series plans to cover the events of the second game in Seasons 2 and 3. Earlier this month, series creator Neil Druckmann hinted at the potential end of the saga, stating, "I guess the only thing I would say is don’t bet on there being more of ‘Last of Us.’ This could be it."

This raises a pivotal question: If *The Last of Us 3* never comes to fruition, will Naughty Dog and Druckmann continue the TV show beyond the existing games? IGN posed this very question to Druckmann at the premiere of *The Last of Us* Season 2, and he shared his perspective on the matter. Druckmann emphasized the importance of having a definitive ending for the story, regardless of whether a third game is developed. He explained, "I have to have an ending. When I made *The Last of Us 1*, I didn’t know if there was going to be a sequel, so that had to be a definitive ending. When I worked on *Uncharted 4*, I don’t know if we’ll ever get to do it again. I need it to be a definitive ending. *Last of Us 2*, same way. All these things have to line up."

Druckmann's commitment to a conclusive narrative is driven by the uncertainty of future opportunities. He stated, "I don’t know how long I’ll keep doing this or whether I’ll be given another opportunity. So I leave nothing on the line. Right now it’s like, we have an ending in mind. And that ending will be it. That ending will be it for this story."

The feasibility of *The Last of Us 3* is further complicated by Druckmann's current commitments. He is deeply involved with the TV show, which will adapt the events of *The Last of Us 2* over the next two seasons, and he's also working on the newly announced PlayStation game, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*. Druckmann elaborated, "As far as everything else, and you’re asking me about future games, my time so much is, we have to finish this season. We’re not quite done. We’re almost there. Knock on wood we get to do it again. Season 3, there’s a lot more story we have to cover, as you know with game two. And then my hands are pretty full with *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*."

The Last of Us Season 2 Character Posters

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In February 2024, Druckmann offered a glimmer of hope for fans by teasing a "concept" for a potential *The Last of Us 3* at the end of *Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2*. He noted, "The first game had such a clean concept of like, the unconditional love a parent feels for their child. The second one, once we landed on this idea of the pursuit of justice at any cost, justice for the ones you love, we felt like, 'there's a clean concept here and there's a throughline from the first game, about love.' If we never get to do it again, this is a fine ending point. Last bite of the apple, the story's done."

Druckmann also highlighted the creative freedom at Naughty Dog, saying, "The great thing about working at Naughty Dog is that we don't have to. It's always like, 'we would love another Last of Us, but if you guys feel you're passionate about something else, we'll support this other thing.' Very privileged position to be in, I never take that for granted. I've been just thinking about it, 'is there a concept there?' And for now years, I haven't been able to find that concept. But recently, that's changed, and I don't have a story, but I do have that concept that to me is as exciting as 1, as exciting as 2, is its own thing, and yet has this throughline for all three. So it does feel like there's probably one more chapter to this story."