New information reveals that a supposed third game in The Last of Us series may not be the next major project in development at Naughty Dog. Naughty Dog is one of Sony’s most prolific first-party studios, with games in both Uncharted and The Last of Us franchises receiving critical acclaim upon their release.
It has been a few years since Naughty Dog’s last major game, as The Last of Us Part 2 came out almost three years ago in June 2020. Since then, Naughty Dog has worked on Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection and a full remake of the original The Last of Us in The Last of Us Part 1, but fans have yet to see a brand-new title from the development studio. While Naughty Dog is yet to reveal its next big game, an interview may have some bad news for fans of The Last of Us.
The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann commented on a potential third game in The Last of Us series in an interview with Kinda Funny. He acknowledged the demand for The Last of Us Part 3 but stated that Naughty Dog has already begun work on its next major project. This title will probably launch after the release of the standalone multiplayer game in The Last of Us universe, as Druckmann reiterated it to be Naughty Dog’s next major release.
Rumors about current games in development at Naughty Dog have been circulating for a couple of years, with some of them pointing to the studio working on a new IP with a fantasy or sci-fi setting. While nothing concrete has been revealed as yet, this sci-fi new IP reportedly has an internal codename of Stray's Cross, with its setting being outer space. It has been almost 10 years since Naughty Dog last released a new IP, so these rumors do seem plausible.
While Sony has hosted a few State of Play events in the last year, the previous major PlayStation Showcase presentation took place in September 2021. This new Naughty Dog game will likely get announced at a PlayStation Showcase presentation, and it may even be the headlining game at the event. However, fans will probably not see a full announcement until The Last of Us multiplayer game has been released, so it may not get featured at the rumored PlayStation event taking place in the summer.
Source: DualShockers, GameSpot