Okay, folks, let's talk about something important: hope. Hope in the post-apocalyptic world of... well, you know. The Last of Us. Because after another "The Last of Us Day" that felt kinda...meh? A glimmer of something BIG might just have appeared.
I'll be honest, I went into TLOU Day expecting fireworks. A sneak peek at season three of the HBO adaptation? A bombshell about Naughty Dog's Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet? Nope. We got merch. Cool merch, sure, but merch nonetheless. But here's the thing: what happened after the official announcements is what really caught my eye.
Namely, Neil Druckmann's Instagram post. He shared a picture of that script book, and then dropped this little gem: "Can’t wait to give y’all more TLoU updates when the time is right."
Hold up. More updates? When the time is right? That, my friends, smells like Last of Us news cooking up behind the scenes. And I'm not talking about the show.
Because, let's be real, Druckmann seems to be taking a step back from the HBO series. Stepping down as co-showrunner? That's a pretty big move. But what if that move frees him up to dive back into the game development that clearly still gets his creative juices flowing?
Is a The Last of Us Part 3 Inevitable? Let's examine the evidence:
Plus, think about it. Naughty Dog knows they're sitting on a goldmine with The Last of Us franchise. Why would they just leave it to gather dust after the success of Part II, divisive as it may have been? And the show's success?
So, what could these "more updates" entail?
- The Last of Us Part III, obviously. A direct sequel continuing the stories of Ellie, Abby, and maybe even a new generation of survivors.
- A spin-off. Remember that cancelled multiplayer game? Maybe they're repurposing some of those assets into a smaller, standalone experience. A TLOU Rogue One?
Actually, I'd be thrilled with either one. The key thing? Keep that brutal, emotional narrative. Keep the characters complex and flawed. And definitely keep the clickers scary.
You know, Druckmann spent years trying to convince us that Part II was the end of the road for The Last of Us. And now, he's practically throwing breadcrumbs at us. What changed? Did the success of the HBO show reignite his passion for the world? Is he itching to tell another story in that universe? I think so.
And, well...I'm hyped.
So, while we might have to wait a little longer for the official announcement, the signs are all there. The Last of Us isn't going anywhere. And I, for one, am ready to face the apocalypse all over again. Because, let's be real, few games can pull at your heartstrings while simultaneously making you check every corner for infected like The Last of Us can. Right?
Now, to speculate wildly on what the story might be...
