If one thing is clear, is that Naughty Dog is one of the top video game studios out there. The PlayStation outfit is one of the big names in the business for sure, it being behind video game series like Uncharted and The Last of Us.
So it’s likely many fans and gamers in general were elated when Neil Druckmann revealed that the studio had more The Last of Us projects in the works during the Last of Us Day.
“I will tell you that both projects will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part I and Part II. The world of The Last of Us means a great deal to us, and we wouldn’t return to it unless we had something meaningful to say. We believe these stories are worth telling”, said Druckmann in the studio’s blog (via IGN).
Naughty Dog’s head honcho didn’t say whether one of these two The Last of Us “projects” could be Part 3, but it’s very likely this is the case if the company is making more The Last of Us video games. Another could be some sort of expansion for said game, if it actually does hit shelves in the future…
But then again, Naughty Dog might not be planning to release another The Last of Us game, and maybe has another season of the TV show in mind, or perhaps a movie, bringing the franchise’s post-apocalyptic zombie action to the silver screen for the first time.
It makes sense, though, for more video games to be in the pipeline taking into account how critically and commercially successful the first two games were. The original Last of Us game was voted top game of the 2010s decade by Metacritic users (it did not make our list but never mind). The sequel was also a hit, and was one of the top reviewed games of 2020, but also a polarizing game. Some fans hated the way the story treated much-loved character Joel, and protagonist Ellie’s journey of suffering and having to play as a former antagonist wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea either.
Besides its mysterious The Last of Us projects, Naughty Dog is fully focused right now on their next game. “There’s an electricity around the studio right now as all the pieces come together, and we’re stoked to finally unveil Intergalactic in all its glory”.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet (to give it its full name) is Naughty Dog’s first foray into sci-fi. It features a female protagonist, a bounty hunter who ends up stranded on a mysterious planet while on a mission and has to figure out a way to escape. She fights robots with a big, red sword as can be seen in the Game Awards trailer above.
This trailer, though, is from late 2024, but Druckmann promises that the game will be fully revealed next year, giving everyone “a proper look at Jordan’s wild sci-fi adventure”.
Nonetheless the man is aware that gamers patience could be running thin, as the studio has not released a major game since 2020, putting out remakes and remasters of previous hits instead, such as The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II remastered.
“We don’t take your continued support for granted”, is a sobering remark from Druckmann. But if the company manages to wow gamers again with their Intergalactic reveal next year, then all will be forgotten, and gamers will be looking forward to another game from one of the US’ top video game developers no doubt.