The Last of Us Part 3: Story rumors, Naughty Dog leaks & more

The Last of Us is gearing up for a busy few months with the recent Part 1 remake, and the anticipated HBO TV series. With the franchise’s second installment now firmly in the rear-view mirror, fans are eagerly awaiting the third game in the immensely successful dystopian series. Here, we’re rounding up leaks, rumors, and more regarding The Last of Us Part 3. 

The Last of Us Part II was one of the most anticipated games of the last decade, borne out of the incredible popularity and acclaim the first game brought.

While some fans were unimpressed with the second game’s story, many saw it as a worthwhile sequel to what is considered one of the best games ever made.

The second game saw Ellie seek revenge for the murder of Joel, as well as navigating her relationship with girlfriend Dina. Those who played the game will know that much was left open-ended, with Ellie allowing Abby to live and Dina disappearing after Ellie ignored her pleas to stay.

There’s certainly room for a sequel, and here are all the latest details on a potential one.

Contents

• Are there any rumors and leaks for The Last of Us Part 3?
• Does The Last of Us Part III have a release date?
• Naughty Dog’s upcoming projects

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Ellie lets Abby (pictured) live in TLOU II’s emotional conclusion.

Are there any rumors and leaks for The Last of Us Part 3?

In January 2023, the creator of Part 1, and creative director of Part II, Neil Druckmann, addressed the possibility of Part 3 during a Buzzfeed interview stating:

“Our process is the same thing we did when we did , which is if we can come up with a compelling story that has this universal message and statement about love — just like the first and second game did — then we will tell that story. If we can’t come up with something, we have a very strong ending with  and that will be the end.”

In April 2021, Neil Druckmann, Creative Director of Part II, officially confirmed that he has penned a story outline for a third game. However, it’s not in active development.

According to Oops Leaks, a credible leaker of information, Naughty Dog are actively working on several projects at the minute, including The Last of Us Part III: “The outline of the script is ready, but the studio is engrossed in the development of the aforementioned projects.”

Confirming what we already knew, however, they go on to say: “It is possible that development will begin faster than expected due to [the] studio’s expansion.”

It seems inevitable that a third game would pick up on Ellie’s story, perhaps revolving around her relationship with Dina. Abby’s involvement would not be guaranteed, but Ellie could yet change her mind over her merciful behavior at the end of Part II.

The very fact that Druckmann has taken the time to plot the third installment is very good news for the series’ fans. In fact, in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter ahead of the tv series’ premiere, Druckmann again teased that a third installment could be on the way.

Druckmann said “I think there’s more story to tell,” while also promising not to run into a Game of Thrones problem where the television show outpaces the source material.

He followed up his teasing comments in an interview with IGN in February 2023, in which he pledged to only make Part 3 if they’re able to pin down a “really good compelling story”.

Does The Last of Us Part III have a release date?

Given that the game was not in development as of Spring 2021, any release will be some years away yet.

The original game dropped in 2013, with its sequel announced in 2016 and launching in 2020 (following a couple of major delays). Even an official announcement, then, seems some way off.

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The Last of Us II dropped 7 years after the original.

Naughty Dog’s upcoming projects

With uncertainty clouding the third game in the series, it seems sensible to look at what developers Naughty Dog are actually confirmed to be working on.

The Last of Us Part 1

After plenty of rumors and speculation, a remake of the original Last of Us was officially announced by Naughty Dog at Summer Games Fest. The ground-up remake, titled The Last of Us Part 1, launched exclusively for the PlayStation 5 on September 2, 2022.

If you’re wondering if The Last of Us Part 1 is worth picking up, check out our review.

The game has also been confirmed to be in development for PC, however, the release date for the port is currently unknown. You can find the launch trailer for The Last of Us Part 1 below:

The Last of Us Factions standalone game

Alongside The Last of Us Part 1 remake, Naughty Dog co-president, and TLOU creative director, Neil Druckmann also revealed that the studio is developing a standalone multiplayer factions game set in The Last of Us universe.

What started as an enhanced version of Factions – that was planned to launch with The Last of Us Part 2 – soon grew into an even more ambitious project and is now set to be Naughty Dog’s first standalone multiplayer experience. According to Druckmann, [The team] “really wanted to do something beyond what we’ve ever done at Naughty Dog. This game is big. It’s as big as any of our single-player games that we’ve done and in some ways bigger.”

While details are scarce for now, Druckmann assured that fans would hear a lot more about the project in 2023, and an official piece of concept art was revealed.

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The first look at the new standalone The Last of Us multiplayer title.

Finally, an IP code-named ‘Stray’s Cross’ is thought to be in development from the studio – a new adventure game for which details are just as sparse as The Last of Us 3.

That’s everything you need to know about The Last of Us Part 3, and Naughty Dog’s upcoming projects. We will continue to update this article as and when new information is revealed.

For more information about upcoming game releases, check out our release guides below:

God of War Ragnarok | A Plague Tale Requiem | Hogwarts Legacy | Forspoken | Assassin’s Creed Infinity | Hollow Knight Silksong | Sonic Frontiers | Gotham Knights | Wolverine | Final Fantasy 16 | BioShock 4 | Star Wars Jedi: Survivor