Naughty Dog Confirms Multiple The Last of Us Projects After Season 3

Even as HBO’s The Last of Us gears up to wrap its third season, Neil Druckmann has made it clear that the franchise isn’t done living in other forms. In a new interview, the Naughty Dog co-studio head said the studio is continuing work on multiple The Last of Us projects—even though he personally isn’t involved with the TV season—adding fresh fuel to long-running fan speculation about what could come next.

Key takeaways

• Druckmann said Naughty Dog still has “plans” tied to the The Last of Us brand, despite the HBO adaptation nearing the end of its third season.
• He confirmed he is not working on the third season of the HBO series, and that Naughty Dog isn’t controlling its artistic direction.
• Druckmann stated the studio has not “finished” with The Last of Us, and referenced “several” ongoing projects.
• Last year, Druckmann advised fans not to assume there would be more The Last of Us, making this latest message feel more concrete.
• Naughty Dog still has Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as a current priority, with motion capture recently completed for Tati Gabrielle’s role.

Druckmann confirms multiple The Last of Us projects are in motion

Speaking in an interview with The Washington Post, Neil Druckmann addressed both his involvement and the studio’s intentions as the HBO series approaches its third-season conclusion. He explicitly said he is not participating in the work on that season, and he added that Naughty Dog does not influence the show’s artistic direction.

The more significant part for players came when Druckmann turned to Naughty Dog’s broader plans. He said the studio has not finished with The Last of Us, and emphasized that there are multiple projects underway. He also framed the studio’s approach as a matter of timing—promising he will talk more when “the right time” arrives.

What this likely means for fans, and what could still stand in the way

Because Druckmann didn’t name the projects, the community is left to connect dots. The most obvious candidate is the long-rumored possibility of The Last of Us: Part III, which fans have discussed for years. However, smaller games or other initiatives outside the traditional game space are not ruled out by the statements.

It’s also worth remembering that Naughty Dog previously had a live-service The Last of Us project in development: Factions. That multiplayer effort had been in production for years, but the studio stopped work by the end of 2023. At the time, developers explained that continuing it would require enormous resources to support later on, potentially forcing the studio to reorganize around games-as-a-service.

Even with new The Last of Us momentum teased, immediate expectations may need tempering. Naughty Dog’s current focus is Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In recent days, it was announced that the studio completed motion capture sessions involving Tati Gabrielle, the actress playing the game’s protagonist. With that production priority in place, any discussion of The Last of Us: Part III—if it is indeed one of the “several” projects Druckmann referenced—would likely be far down the timeline.