When The Last of Us Part 3 is (eventually) announced, its PS5 release won’t be far behind. At least that’s the idea anyway, as comments made studio head honcho Neil Druckmann suggest that the award-winning studio will want to close the gap between a new announcement and release when compared to previous titles.
“You’re right, we did announce Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Part 2 way in advance, but that actually caused a little bit of the work-life balance issues that we’ve sometimes had at the studio,” Druckmann went on to say. “By delaying that announcement a bit, we could play with the schedule more and we’re more conscious now about how we’re approaching production. So there’s our [The Last of Us] multiplayer project and there’s another project that I will not say anything about that’s beyond that that we’re also very much excited for.”
Certainly, this new approach would pay dividends in helping Naughty Dog manage expectations and avoid the crunch culture that has plagued so many AAA studios, especially in light of the crunch culture reports that were unearthed surrounding the development of The Last of Us Part 2.
Further Reading – The Last Of Us Part I Review (PS5) – A Stunning Remake Of A Naughty Dog Classic
In regards to The Last of Us Part 3, which must surely be the ‘other’ project that Druckmann is referring to after the release of The Last of Us Factions multiplayer title, Druckmann has already said that “there is more story to tell” when referring to the world in which The Last of Us takes place. Of course, there is also the small matter that The Last of Us Part 2 sold millions upon millions of units, making a full-blooded core threequel something of a no-brainer.
While it might be some time before we see anything from the studio, fans of The Last of Us won’t have long to wait to satiate their appetite as HBO’s ambitious The Last of Us television begins broadcasting on January 15, 2023 and looks like at the very least it’ll nail the mood and intensity of the PlayStation marquee franchise with aplomb, all the while providing an extended glimpse at how life looked like before the cordyceps pandemic that ravaged the world.
Further Reading – The Last Of Us Part II Review (PS4) – A Frankly Incredible Achievement
Additionally, the first episode of HBO’s The Last of Us looks to be a big one – clocking in at some 85(!) minutes long, while the entire first season looks to have been a costly endeavour too, costing over $100 million to make. Woof.
You can catch the latest trailer for HBO’s The Last of Us below.
Source: Comicbook.com via Naughty Dog Central
