With all the spotlight surrounding The Last of Us HBO series and the confirmation that the show will explore the second game across multiple seasons, the studio behind the acclaimed video game, Naughty Dog may or may not be working on The Last of Us Part III. While the is no confirmation of what exactly Naughty Dog is working on, co-president Neil Druckmann has shared some insights into how the studio picked this new mysterious project.
In an interview with Kinda Funny, Druckmann says that being part of a successful studio has afforded him the luxury of being able to work on projects which the developers are most passionate about. He says that Naughty Dog was already successful when he joined the team which allows them the privilege to do whatever they want.
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“I am very lucky that I don’t have to think like that. I joined a studio that was already so successful that we could be kind of prima donnas and just do whatever we want. I know not everybody has that privilege but it’s not something I take lightly.”
Druckmann followed up by stating that at the end of every project, the studio forces itself to explore several different projects and ideas. Some of these are sequels to current franchises while others are new ideas. The studio then decides where the passion lies.
“So at the end of every project, we purposefully explore several different projects. Some of them might be a sequel and then a bunch of new ideas, and then we really feel like, ‘where do our passions lie?’ Because that’s the fire that has to sustain for years to come. And if you pick the wrong project and then you burn out from that idea because you weren’t that passionate about it, two years into a four year project, you’re fucked. That’s how you, I think, make mediocre anything – if you lose your excitement from it.”
Of course, Druckmann didn’t mention what the studio has decided to work on. He didn’t confirm whether it is The Last of Us Part III or something else. However, he did confirm that whatever this project is, it is already well in development.
“I know the fans really want Last of Us Part 3. I hear about it all of the time and all I can say is that look, we’re already into our next project, so the decision has already been made. I can’t say what it is, but that’s the process we went through, that there was a lot of consideration of different things, and we picked the thing we were most excited for.”
The Last of Us Part II was released in 2020 with great success. The series has gone on to sell over 37 million copies since its debut back in 2013. The HBO show has set new records for TV drawing millions of viewers across its 9-episode run. The finale premiered on Sunday and drew a record high of 8.2 million viewers.
Even with that success, the chances of The Last of Us Part III being in development might be slim at this point. Druckmann has stated in the past that just because something is successful, doesn’t mean there is pressure to “have to” make a sequel.
“For us, Uncharted was insanely successful — Uncharted 4 was one of our best selling games — and we’re able to put our final brushstroke on that story and say that we’re done. We’re moving on. Likewise, with The Last of Us, it’s up to us whether we want to continue it or not.”
At the moment, we know that Naughty Dog is working on a triple-A The Last of Us multiplayer game which is set to launch this year. When asked about the game Druckmann said:
“That one’s an interesting experience for me personally because it’s the first Last of Us game that I’m not the primary writer, I’m not the director, so I get to see it more from the side and play more of a producer role and more of a mentor role, and that to me is really exciting, and what the team has put together is so cool.”
Source: Kinda Funny
