Neil Druckmann on Continuing 'The Last of Us' TV Show Beyond Games

With the future of The Last of Us video game series hanging in the balance, fans are eagerly speculating on where the narrative might head following the conclusion of the second game's storyline in HBO's Season 2 and 3. Earlier this month, series creator Neil Druckmann threw a curveball by expressing uncertainty about The Last of Us 3, 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 statement naturally raises the question of whether Naughty Dog and Druckmann would continue the TV series beyond the scope of the existing games. Addressing this on the red carpet at the premiere of The Last of Us Season 2, Druckmann emphasized his commitment to crafting a definitive ending for the story, regardless of whether a third game comes to fruition. 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 dedication to storytelling is clear, as he insists on leaving no loose ends: "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 producing The Last of Us 3 is further complicated by Druckmann's current commitments. He's deeply involved with the TV show, which will wrap up the events of The Last of Us 2 in its upcoming seasons, and he's also working on a new PlayStation game titled Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Druckmann shared, "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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Despite these uncertainties, Druckmann hinted at the possibility of a third game during a discussion at the end of Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2 in February 2024. He mentioned having a concept for The Last of Us 3, noting, "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, stating, "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."