Fans Think Neil Druckmann Just Teased The Last of Us Part 3, While Mentioning The Series' Upcoming 'Road Ahead'

The Last of Us fans judge creator Neil Druckmann has dropped a notable Part 3 tease.

In a station connected Instagram, Druckmann shared immoderate of his archetypal ever sketches for the characters that became Joel and Ellie — and suggested that the communicative of their satellite inactive wasn't over.

"Cleaning retired the store contiguous and stumbled connected my archetypal sketches from 2003 for a crippled transportation astir a man, his surrogate daughter, and a trek crossed a breached America," Druckmann wrote. "Been a chaotic journey," helium continued. "Grateful for each portion of it, particularly the fewer stops that stay connected the roadworthy ahead."

It's that past condemnation which has present gotten fans excited, with galore responses connected societal media and reddit convinced that Druckmann's "few stops that remain" mean The Last of Us Part 3.

Druckmann has ne'er ruled retired making a 3rd section of Naughty Dog's beloved The Last of Us saga, adjacent arsenic the workplace is present engaged with a mates of different projects. One of these is Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which Druckmann is directing. The different task is simply a crippled helium has a much hands-off relation on, which is being directed by Shaun Escayg, who antecedently helmed Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

In the past, Druckmann has spoken of having written a smaller communicative for side-character Tommy, though specifically stated this was not the ground for a 3rd afloat The Last of Us game. And past determination is HBO's The Last of Us TV series, which is presently shooting its 3rd (and apt last) season. Druckmann, however, is nary longer progressive successful the time to time moving of that.

So, what other could Druckmann beryllium referring to here, if not The Last of Us Part 3? Many fans person seen the remark and suggested it's a awesome the task volition happen, yet — adjacent if it has to hold for the motorboat of Intergalactic, which itself is not expected for a mates of years.

"That past enactment beauteous overmuch confirms Part 3," 1 instrumentality wrote connected Instagram. "Few... stops? Few stops? FEW STOPS?!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO US," wrote another.

"It's evident that determination volition beryllium a TLOU3," added different The Last of Us instrumentality connected reddit. "He fundamentally confirmed successful the documentary astir TLOU2. But it's astir apt VERY acold away. My conjecture would beryllium 3035-36, assuming they person different crippled successful the works close aft Intergalactic. 'Few stops' seems to beryllium much astir him arsenic a director. With games taking 5-7+ years of improvement time, I could spot him retiring arsenic a crippled manager successful 10-15 years, truthful fundamentally 2 projects."

As that remark mentions, this isn't the archetypal clip Druckmann has hinted that The Last of Us Part 3 volition 1 time go a reality. Naughty Dog's authoritative Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2 documentary ends with Druckmann fundamentally confirming arsenic such, with the connection that helium feels "there's 1 much section to this story." How agelong it takes for him to get astir to making it, however, remains to beryllium seen.

For now, here's Druckmann's punctuation from Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 2 documentary successful full:

"If we ne'er get to bash it again, this is simply a good ending point," helium said. "Last wound of the apple, story's done. And the large happening astir moving astatine Naughty Dog is that we don't have to. It's ever similar 'we would emotion different Last of Us, but if you guys consciousness similar you're passionate astir thing other we'll enactment that.' [It's a] precise privileged presumption to beryllium in, I ne'er instrumentality that for granted.

"I've been reasoning astir 'is determination a conception there?' [for a sequel] and for years I haven't been capable to find that concept. But precocious that's changed, and I don't person a communicative but I bash person that conception that, to me, is breathtaking arsenic 1, arsenic breathtaking arsenic 2, is it's ain happening but yet has this throughline for each three. So it does consciousness similar there's 1 much section to this story."

Druckmann antecedently referred to Intergalactic, meanwhile, arsenic the astir "ambitious" "expansive" and "expensive" crippled Naughty Dog has ever made. "What tin I accidental and not say? I tin archer you we’re successful the heavy of it. We’re making it, we’re playing it. We're firing connected each cylinders." The crippled lacks immoderate signifier of a merchandise date, though a study successful December past twelvemonth noted that developers were already moving mandatory overtime to get an interior demo done for Sony.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social