Ethan Crossfield 
Naughty Dog is preparing two new projects connected to The Last of Us, and both are intended to broaden the series canon beyond Part I and Part II. The announcement is significant, but deliberately limited: studio head and co-creator Neil Druckmann did not identify either project as a video game, reveal their formats, or provide a timetable.
What happened
Druckmann shared the update during Naughty Dog’s annual Outbreak Day celebration, the September 28 event associated with the Cordyceps outbreak in the series’ fiction. In a blog post following Grounded II, he said the studio has been discussing additional stories set in The Last of Us and now has two projects in their very early stages. He indicated that the team would only revisit the setting if it had something meaningful to contribute, and said Naughty Dog believes these stories are worth telling.
The wording matters. The announcement refers to “projects,” not games. That leaves open several possibilities, including future interactive releases or work in another medium such as television, film, comics, or books. Naughty Dog has not provided enough information to determine which direction it is taking.
Why it matters
The Last of Us has already received an unusually broad range of releases from Naughty Dog. The original PlayStation 3 game was followed by the Left Behind DLC, a PlayStation 4 remaster, The Last of Us Part II, a PlayStation 5 remake of the first game, and a PlayStation 5 remaster of the sequel. The studio’s latest message suggests that its next contribution will not simply revisit those same two chapters.
For fans, that points toward new corners of the setting rather than an immediate promise of The Last of Us Part III. It also signals that Naughty Dog is treating the series’ future cautiously. By emphasizing purpose and story value instead of announcing a product, the studio is setting expectations around creative intent rather than release hype.
What to watch next
Naughty Dog’s next major priority appears to be Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, its upcoming action game revealed at The Game Awards 2024. Since that title has not yet launched, the newly mentioned Last of Us projects are unlikely to become fully detailed in the immediate future. The studio may first clarify whether these concepts are games or projects in another format, then share information about their scope and development status.
Until that happens, the safest reading is that The Last of Us has a future beyond its existing canon, but not yet a publicly defined sequel, spinoff, or release schedule.
Key takeaways for fans
- Naughty Dog is working on two Last of Us projects in very early development.
- Both projects are intended to expand the canon beyond Part I and Part II.
- The studio has not confirmed that either project is a video game.
- No release window, platform, story details, or format has been announced.
- Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet remains an important near-term project for Naughty Dog.
Expert View
This is a strategically careful tease rather than a conventional announcement. Naughty Dog is preserving room for the Last of Us universe to grow without committing to a sequel or forcing every future story into the game format. That restraint is valuable: after multiple editions of the existing games, genuinely new perspectives would matter more than another familiar retelling. Fans should remain interested, but treat any assumption about Part III, a new game, or a release date as speculation until Naughty Dog provides specifics.
