Naughty Dog Has Two New The Last of Us Projects in the Works

Naughty Dog is not done with Joel, Ellie and the world they lived in. Studio head Neil Druckmann has confirmed that two new The Last of Us projects are now in development, both still in the early stages.

The news came in a short post reflecting on The Last of Us Day, held on September 26 to mark the date the outbreak begins in the game's lore. This year's event included a charity livestream, fan giveaways and a handful of new collaborations. Naughty Dog also launched fresh official social media accounts for the franchise, a small sign that more was coming.

Druckmann said both projects will push the canon past the events of Part 1 and Part 2. He was careful to frame the decision as a creative one. "The world of The Last of Us means a great deal to us, and we wouldn't return to it unless we had something meaningful to say," he wrote. "We believe these stories are worth telling."

What the projects actually are remains an open question. Druckmann did not say whether either one is a The Last of Us Part 3, and with both so early in development, answers are unlikely to arrive soon. They could just as easily be games, spin-offs or something else entirely.

The studio's next big release is a different matter. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the sci-fi game Naughty Dog announced in 2024, has been quiet ever since, and that will continue through the rest of this year. Druckmann said the team will fully reveal it in 2027, once it has had a bit more time to come together. He acknowledged the wait directly. "We know it's been a long time since we've had much to share with you," he said. "We're working incredibly hard to make something worthy of your patience."

Meanwhile, the franchise continues on television. Work on season 3 of HBO's adaptation is underway, and several of the games' voice actors have recently joined the cast. There is a chance it will be the show's last season, as showrunner Craig Mazin is weighing whether to condense his original four-season plan into three.

For fans, the takeaway is simple. Intergalactic is the near-term focus, but the Last of Us universe is still growing, both on screen and at the studio that created it.