The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann has recently shared a few of his sketches for the original game pitch via Instagram, and in doing so, he appears to have left a bit of a tease for series fans.
Cleaning out the garage today and stumbled on my original sketches from 2003 for a game pitch about a man, his surrogate daughter, and a trek across a broken America.
Been a wild journey. Grateful for every part of it, especially the few stops that remain on the road ahead.
It's the very final part of his message that has roused the hopes of The Last of Us aficionados regarding a third and final game in the series, the long-rumored Part III. Druckmann has actually sent mixed messages on that front in the past. Just about a year ago, he told fans they really shouldn't bet on a third game actually happening. Less than three months later, though, he said it could happen, provided Naughty Dog found the right story concept:
If we were ever to come back to it, I want to make sure that it's a story worthy of The Last of Us. I love that world. I love these characters. With the right opportunity, with the right idea... Yeah, I would totally jump at it.
Then, last September, he teased other franchise-related "things" on the way. Of course, there's a chance he was not referring to a new game with those "few stops that remain on the road ahead". There will be a third season of the TV show, after all; on the other hand, he won't be directly involved in it, having stepped back from the project to refocus on his gaming tasks.
Druckmann is now fully involved with Naughty Dog's new sci-fi IP, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which he has already described as the studio's biggest game ever. However, that game is believed to be targeting a 2027 launch, which means it may be nearing completion, opening space for pre-production on the studio's next project. Druckmann has publicly acknowledged that fans really want The Last of Us Part III, though that, in itself, is no guarantee it will be made.
Would you like to see that happen, or would you rather the series end with The Last of Us Part II? Vote in the poll below and write your opinion in the comments.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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