The Last of Us Part III – Neil Druckman talks about and sets up a new chapter in the adventure

If last?

Often, people are not necessarily receptive to the idea of ​​seeing the series expand over time, declaring lack of creativity and stagnation among the most alarming reasons. However, when the series in question is a monster of the video game kingdom, there is little doubt.

In April 2021, naughty dog It also gave the impression of paving the way a little more towards the third opus of The Last of Us. Backed by the acclaimed Volume 2, Neil Druckman, creative director, let the idea hang in the air:

‘I don’t know how much I want to reveal. With co-writer Haley Gross, we wrote a story outline that we’re not making – but which I hope will see the light of day one day – and which explores a bit of what happens after The Last of Us Part II. “

The DLC track is obviously significant, although it turns out that the end of 2022 is moving in the direction we imagined, of a new adventure, which is apparently carried out by the open conclusion of Volume 2. A conclusion from elsewhere was rejected by some. players. But this is another story.

Today, when the documentary “Grounded II: Making the Last of Us Part II” has just been released, which we invite you to watch, it is once again Neil Druckman who restarts the machine with episode 3. Indeed, towards the end of the documentary, we see the creative director dwelling on the “future” and his ideas:

“I did another interview where someone told me about The Last of Us and asked me if there was going to be another story or something.”

“I mentioned that I wrote a story after The Last of Us Part II that featured Tommy. I hope one day we do.”

“At the time, the industry headlines were: “Naughty Dog Greenlights The Last of Us Part III.” And that’s wrong. It was a small story, not a big volume.”

“At the time, we had other priorities at Naughty Dog: we were preparing our projects, sorting out our work-life balance issues. In the position we were in, I didn’t want to prioritize this story, so it got scrapped. “

As a reminder, in addition to working for the well-being of his staff, Naughty Dog was still working on creating his multiplayer adventure out into the world. The Last of Us Which we now know to abandon. A reluctant abandonment that nonetheless leads to the rest of the adventure:

“I still believe it will see the light of day. I don’t know if it will be the game or the series… we’ll have to see. The first game had such a clear concept of parents’ unconditional love for their children. The second focuses on seeking justice at any cost, justice for those we love… and this was the guiding principle from the first opus about love. “

‘If we go no further, this is a good way to conclude. “

‘The great thing about working at Naughty Dog is that we don’t have to. It’s kind of like, we’d love to do another The Last of Us, but, if we’re passionate about doing something else, we’ll pursue that idea. An incredibly privileged position, one I would never take for granted. “

“I’ve been thinking for a long time: “Is there a concept here? ” But over the years, I haven’t been able to find this concept. But recently that has changed. I don’t have a story, but I do have a concept that is just as exciting to me as the first two games. Something that continues well for Episode 3. .”

So it really looks like there might be one more chapter to this story. “

Thinking from there that episode is already in development? There is only one step…