Naughty Dog president and head of creative Neil Druckmann is featured today in a brand new interview with Variety. Druckmann, known to gamers as the writer and designer of the first two Uncharted games and the writer and game director of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and the two The Last of Us games, also co-created and wrote the first two seasons of the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us.
Two months ago, we learned he would dial back his involvement with the TV series. Now, speaking to Variety, he clarified why that happened, and also managed to tease some new The Last of Us 'things' in the process.
It was right when we were about to start the writers’ room for Season 3. I looked at what’s in front of me, what would the next season might look like, and with all the various “Last of Us” things I’m working on — not just the show — with all the various games I’m working on, the biggest one that takes up most of my time is “Intergalactic: The Heretic Profit,” our next big IP for Naughty Dog and PlayStation, it felt like I could better serve all of my responsibilities if I stayed at a higher level.
Is that a hint at The Last of Us Part III? Six months ago, Druckmann seemed to dash fans' dreams by implying that the franchise might never be expanded further. Two and a half months later, however, he said he would make that third installment, but only if Naughty Dog could come up with a worthy concept and story. Did that happen? We'll likely have to wait a few years to know, as the Californian studio is currently busy with their new sci-fi IP, Intergalactic Prophet.
Druckmann spoke about that as well in his chat with Variety, boasting the project's size and cost and teasing that it will feature evolved gameplay just like The Last of Us did compared to Uncharted.
I can tell you we’re in the thick of it. We’re making it, we’re playing it. We’re firing on all cylinders. I’ve said this before, but I really mean it, I’m really feeling it right now: It’s the most ambitious game we’ve ever made. It’s the most expansive game we’ve ever made, maybe the most expensive, by the time we finish it. Troy Baker is in the game, and it’s been five years since I’ve worked with Troy, and I’ve got to do it again, and it was a lot of fun to be on the stage with him again.
You could look at our previous titles and see the evolution of going from “Uncharted,” where we’re really cutting our teeth on realistic character-action game, third-person shooter, combined with emotional storytelling. With “The Last of Us,” we added some RPG elements, we started playing with wide linear layouts. Continue that trajectory forward, add sci-fi and you start to get the sense of what we’re doing, and then we’ve gotten even more ambitious than that. So really looking forward to see how it all comes together. I think you’re all going to be pleasantly surprised by it.
Again, what that means remains to be seen. The head of Naughty Dog wouldn't commit to a date for a proper reveal of the game, and chances are it won't be this year - unless they are preparing a new trailer for The Game Awards. Still, according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Intergalactic Prophet is unlikely to launch before 2027.
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