Neil Druckmann on Continuing The Last of Us TV Series Beyond the Games

With the future of The Last of Us video game series in question, fans are eagerly speculating about the next chapter following the HBO series' coverage of the second game in Seasons 2 and 3. Recently, Neil Druckmann, the series' creator, expressed uncertainty about the development of The Last of Us 3, stating: “I guess the only thing I would say is don’t bet on there being more of ‘Last of Us.’ This could be it.” This statement has left fans wondering whether Naughty Dog and Druckmann would continue the TV show beyond the existing games.

IGN posed this very question to Druckmann at the premiere of The Last of Us Season 2. He revealed that he has a definitive ending in mind for the The Last of Us story, but due to the uncertainty surrounding The Last of Us 3, he's ensuring that nothing is left unresolved. Druckmann emphasized the importance of having a conclusive ending, a principle he applied to The Last of Us Part I, Uncharted 4, and The Last of Us Part II. He stated, “I have to have an ending... When I made The Last of Us 1, I didn’t know if there was going to be a sequel, so that had to be a definitive ending. When I worked on Uncharted 4, I don’t know if we’ll ever get to do it again. I need it to be a definitive ending. Last of Us 2, same way. All these things have to line up. I don’t know how long I’ll keep doing this or whether I’ll be given another opportunity. So I leave nothing on the line. Right now it’s like, we have an ending in mind. And that ending will be it. That ending will be it for this story.”

Druckmann's busy schedule raises further questions about the feasibility of The Last of Us 3. He is currently focused on completing the TV show, which will cover the events of The Last of Us Part II in Seasons 2 and 3, and is also working on the newly announced PlayStation game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. He noted, “As far as everything else, and you’re asking me about future games, my time so much is, we have to finish this season. We’re not quite done. We’re almost there. Knock on wood we get to do it again. Season 3, there’s a lot more story we have to cover, as you know with game two. And then my hands are pretty full with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.”

The Last of Us Season 2 Character Posters

In February 2024, Druckmann hinted at a potential concept for The Last of Us 3 during the documentary Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2. He discussed the thematic continuity from the first game's focus on unconditional parental love to the second game's exploration of justice at any cost. Druckmann shared, "The first game had such a clean concept of like, the unconditional love a parent feels for their child. The second one, once we landed on this idea of the pursuit of justice at any cost, justice for the ones you love, we felt like, 'there's a clean concept here and there's a throughline from the first game, about love.' If we never get to do it again, this is a fine ending point. Last bite of the apple, the story's done."

He also highlighted the creative freedom at Naughty Dog, saying, "The great thing about working at Naughty Dog is that we don't have to. It's always like, 'we would love another Last of Us, but if you guys feel you're passionate about something else, we'll support this other thing.' Very privileged position to be in, I never take that for granted. I've been just thinking about it, 'is there a concept there?' And for now years, I haven't been able to find that concept. But recently, that's changed, and I don't have a story, but I do have that concept that to me is as exciting as 1, as exciting as 2, is its own thing, and yet has this throughline for all three. So it does feel like there's probably one more chapter to this story."