The Last of Us 3 is back in the conversation after a few leaks happened earlier this week. With the game reaching popularity after the HBO show, it is natural for Naughty Dog to continue the story. While there is no official confirmation from the studio, the game’s existence has been challenged numerous times. We have plenty of leaks and rumors that talk about the game. In this article, we have compiled all those to help you learn everything we know about the Last of Us 3 so far. With that, let’s begin.
The Last of Us Part 3: Leaks and Rumors
Ever since the release of Last of Us Part 2, there have been talks about the next TLOU game. These talks intensified after the HBO series launched to critical acclaim. The studio never confirmed the Last of Us Part 3 even after multiple teases.
In April 2021, Neil Druckmann, the director and writer of TLOU Part 2, told Script Apart Podcast about writing a story outline for Part 3. However, he also confirmed that the game is not in active development.
During a January 2022 interview with Buzzfeed, Druckmann claimed that if they write a compelling story with a universal message of love, the Last of Us 3 will happen. He further claimed they’re lucky the publisher is Sony, as there has been no pressure for a sequel.
“Likewise, with The Last of Us, it’s up to us whether we want to continue it or not. Our process is the same thing we did when we did Part 2, which is if we can come up with a compelling story that has this universal message and statement about love — just like the first and second game did — then we will tell that story. If we can’t come up with something, we have a very strong ending with Part 2 and that will be the end.” – Neil Druckmann – Writer, TLOU
The Last of Us Factions, a free-to-play multiplayer shooter set in the universe, is their focus for now. In a January 2022 Hollywood Reporter interview for The Last of Us show, Druckmann, when asked about the future, said Last of Us has “there’s more story to tell.”
Back in February, during an interview with IGN, the interviewers asked Druckmann if Last of Us 3 is on their working table. To this, Neil Druckmann claimed that the only thing he could confirm was the multiplayer title Factions. He refused to comment on the Last of Us 3 and said that if they “have a compelling story, then it will happen. Otherwise, the story ends with Last of Us Part 2.”
A few months later, industry insider Daniel Richtman dropped substantial proof that Naughty Dog may have started working on the next game. The details from his paid Patreon claim that the studio is casting motion capture artists for a few roles. These leaks also confirm that the story has already started taking shape. Moreover, the leak states part of the story will involve a group of scavengers surviving inside a Victorian house on the city outskirts.
While early in production, they claimed Ellie played a substantial part in the upcoming game. The character becomes a central point of the story of both the Last of Us titles. Hence, it is natural for her to be noteworthy if a Last of Us 3 happens.
In an interview by Dexerto, Tommy Miller’s actor Jeffery Pierce claimed that he isn’t aware of a sequel happening.
As of now, this is the current timeline for discussions around The Last of Us 3 game. However, it is always worth mentioning that the game’s development might be underway behind closed doors. So, always hold out for the slight chance that a nice teaser will be revealed soon.
The Last of Us 3: Characters
As per the Daniel Richtman report that has now been taken down, the next Last of Us will feature a new cast of characters living inside a Victorian structure. Currently, Naughty Dog is looking to hire motion capture actors. The characters and roles in The Last of Us 3 are as under:
- Lucas is a male developing a relationship with another young scavenger and will show his dark side later in the game.
- Mason is a former male soldier. His loyalty to Ezra and the house is tested when Val becomes the leader.
- The female leader of the group is called Val.
- A male actor for the character of Ezra, who wants to take the house from Val.
- A female portraying Gracie. There is not enough information regarding this role.
Additionally, ViewerAnon also claims that Ellie still plays an important role in the game. Naturally, we can see her returning. Furthermore, Abby and Lev from The Last of Us Part 2 might return for the sequel. We know that both of them are possibly alive and with the Fireflies. If not a feature, we might also hear about what happened to them in passing.
There’s also a chance the characters above might be survivors that the protagonist encounters in passing. Viewers on a much-discussed Reddit post have also mentioned that these might just be folks in a live-service game rather than the third part. so, take the above with a grain of salt.
The Last Of Us 3: Story
The story leaks for The Last of Us 3 imply that the game might be pivoting towards a new group of scavengers. This connects with the comments Druckmann made during the Hollywood Reporter interview. Naturally, the next title might focus heavily on these new characters. However, another leak also claims that Ellie is noteworthy in the game.
What might happen is the story splitting up into two perspectives, similar to The Last of Us Part 2. From one perspective, the game will continue to focus on Ellie’s journey through post-apocalyptic America. We know she starts traveling by the end of The Last of Us Part 2. Maybe the chunk of the story will focus on her searching for Dana and the kid they started raising.
During this point, Ellie might run into these groups of survivors, and the story then changes its beat to focus on them. The other half might shed light on the background of the new characters and how they came together to become a group.
As previously mentioned, the script might change, so it is hard to speculate on the storyline just yet. However, we can be sure the new survivors and her will encounter each other.
TLOU 3 Release Date: When Will the Game Launch?
The first Last of Us launched near the end of the PlayStation 3 development cycle on June 14, 2013. Later, when the PlayStation 4 launched, it received a TLOU remaster in July 2014. Then, The Last of Us Part 2 followed a similar approach. The game launched near the end of the PS4 life cycle on June 19, 2020.
With the PlayStation 5 currently the active next-gen platform, if a Last of Us Part 3 happens, it will likely launch for the new console. Moreover, judging how a AAA game has an average development cycle of anywhere from 3 to 5 years, we might not get The Last of Us Part 3 anytime soon.
Assuming that Druckmann and the team started pre-production in 2022, The Last of Us 3 might launch sometime in 2026 or 2027.
Another thing to note here is that there are multiple rumors about the existence of a PlayStation 5 Pro. While Sony never confirmed anything substantial, we can assume that the game might drop after the rumored PS5 Pro launches. That way, it might leverage the better performance that the system allows.
And that’s everything substantial we know about The Last of Us 3. Got any more information we missed? Leave it in the comments below!