Neil Druckmann, creator of the iconic The Last of Us franchise, has officially confirmed that two new projects are in active development at Naughty Dog. Both projects will expand the canon beyond The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II (2020), pushing the post-apocalyptic story past the events of the original game and its sequel.
Neil Druckmann Confirms Two New Last of Us Projects Will Expand the Canon
The news came in Druckmann’s post on the Naughty Dog blog right after The Last of Us Day. He opened the topic by pointing back to Grounded II, when the studio first started talking about telling more stories in this world. Then he got to the point, revealing that Naughty Dog has “a couple of very exciting new projects in very early stages.”
He couldn’t say much more, but he did confirm the one thing fans most wanted to know:
“I will tell you that both projects will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part I and Part II,” he said.
That line matters because it says both projects are new stories, not re-releases. Druckmann also explained why the studio is willing to come back at all:
“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. We believe these stories are worth telling.”
For a franchise whose second game divided fans so sharply, that reads as a promise that studio isn’t going back to the well just because it can.
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What Are the New Last of Us Projects Actually Going to Be? (Speculative)
Honest answer is that nobody outside Naughty Dog knows yet. But Druckmann’s wording rules out more than you’d think.
Start with what this isn’t. “Expand the canon” means new story material, so you can cross off another remaster, remake, or re-release. Whatever is coming, it will be something we haven’t played.
The obvious bet is a Part III, though Druckmann hasn’t said either project is a sequel. If it is, Naughty Dog would have plenty to pick up. Part II ended with Ellie’s future uncertain and Abby and Lev’s story only half-told, so a third game could follow any of them, or someone new.
The more interesting possibility is a story that leaves Ellie and Abby behind. The first two games stayed mostly in the United States, so a new cast in a new region, or a prequel set during the early outbreak, would give the studio room to show how other communities survived without rewriting the story we already know.
Just don’t expect answers soon. The projects are in very early stages, and Naughty Dog is still busy with Intergalactic. The studio says it will go quiet for the rest of 2026, so any real news on the Last of Us side probably comes after that reveal. That’s my read, not something Naughty Dog has confirmed.
Which would you rather see: a Part III, or a brand-new story? Tell us in the comments below.
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