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The Last of Us 3 has a plot outline, but isn't in development yet, reveals creative director Neil Druckmann

By Danyal Arabi
Modified Apr 28, 2021 10:47 GMT
The Last of Us is one of the Playstation's biggest sellers, with people picking up the consoles to play the game. Image via Naughty Dog.
The Last of Us is one of the Playstation's biggest sellers, with people picking up the consoles to play the game. Image via Naughty Dog.

With the commercial success of The Last of Us 2, rumors of a sequel instantly hit the internet after launch. The speculation could now be put to rest as Naughty Dog confirmed ongoing work on The Last of Us 3 plot.

However, active development is still pending. In a recent podcast titled 'Script Apart,' the game's creative director Neil Druckmann shared some candid details about The Last of Us 3 and its current state.

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The Last of Us 3 story being outlined, development yet to begin, confirms Neil Druckmann

Druckmann elaborated on the team's status regarding a sequel and its progression so far on the podcast. He said,

"I don’t know how much I want to reveal... [co-writer Halley Gross] and I did write an outline for a story, that we're not making – but I hope one day can see the light of day – that explores a little bit what happens after this game. We’ll see.”

Naughty Dog usually take their time after releasing a major title to dig for a new idea. Druckmann said the team needed to be "jazzed by the idea for the next title to succeed." He elaborated and said that,

"We take a long time to explore different ideas, whether it’s going to be Last of Us III, whether it's something new, whether there's some old franchise we want to go back to. I like to fully explore all of those, then look at, like: okay, we have all of these ideas in front of us. As a studio, what do we want to commit to? Because it’s a huge commitment – monetary, time, passion, talent, so you think about all the opportunity costs that come with that."

While The Last of Us 2 gained commercial success, the direction for the next installment of the game seems ambiguous at best. The studio is allegedly split between developing a rumored standalone Last of Us multiplayer game, a new "Uncharted" project, or a full remake of the original Last of Us.

With all of this work in the pipeline, it may be a while before The Last of Us 3 sees the light of day.

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