If there’s one thing that stood out from the documentary “Grounded 2” around The Last of Us Part 2, it was Neil Druckmann’s last words. The co-president of the studio, but also the mastermind of all the latest projects, released everything that fans of the post-apocalyptic game were waiting for: a third episode in The Last of Us saga.
“I gave another interview and was asked if there would be any more The Last of Us stories. I said we had written a story that takes place after The Last of Us Part II around Tommy and that I hoped to be able to do it one day. And in the press, we could read “Naughty Dog discusses The Last of Us Part III”, which is completely false. It was always a little story, not a full title. Naughty Dog had other priorities at the time, like working on the pipeline and work-life balance. Given the context, I didn’t want to prioritize this story, so it was moved side. I think it will eventually see the light of day. I don’t know if it will be a game or a series, we’ll see.
The concept of the first game was simple: the unconditional love of a parent for their child. In the second, we focused on the quest for justice at all costs, for those we love. It was another simple concept that echoed the idea of love in the first game. If we stop there, it’s a very good ending. Everything is said, the story is over. The best thing about working at Naughty Dog is that they don’t force you to do anything. They would like a sequel to The Last of Us, but if we want to do something else, they support us. I’m very lucky in that regard, I realize that. I wondered if there was another concept to exploit. For years I found nothing. But recently, that has changed. I don’t have a story, but I have a concept that seems as interesting to me as that of I and II. It is independent, but the three are attached. So there may well be another chapter to this story. »
If Sony is demanding a third episode from Naughty Dog, it is because the series is not only bankable, but also because it is a benchmark in video games. But the Californian studio is not the type to shoot down sequels one after the other, it needs motivation, a strong subject and Neil Druckmann seems to have found the right concept to launch again into this third chapter. Continue the story left between Ellie and Abby, or go back into Joel’s past to dig into the events between the start of the pandemic and his meeting with Ellie, and then name the game The Last of Us Part Zero? Everything is possible, but you’re going to have to be really patient to see the game land. The concept is found, the writing has barely started and we may well have to wait for the next generation of PlayStation (the PS6 in this case) to see the game land.
The documentary Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II is available with French subtitles on YouTube. It lasts 2 hours and is totally exciting.