Neil Druckmann slog for nylig fast, at selvom at han "ved at fans vil have The Last of Us: Part III", så har studiet valgt deres næste store projekt efter det kommende multiplayer-spil. Selvom at han giver sig selv retorisk råderum, så virker det ikke umiddelbart som om at et tredje spil i serien er studiets næste store projekt.
Men det betyder altså ikke at de ikke har planlagt spillet som en del af deres line-up. Insidere ovre hos The Leak siger nemlig at forsigtigt arbejde så småt er gået i gang hos Naughty Dog på The Last of Us: Part III, men at spillet udvikles "med PlayStation 6 for øje".
Det giver god mening, eftersom Jason Schreier tidligere har slået fast, at store projekter der går igang nu, faktisk bør udvikles til den næste konsolgeneration - så lang tid tager det bare at udvikle store spil:
"Fun fact: Video game production cycles have gotten so long that if a big-budget game studio started working on a brand new project today, it would likely be for the PlayStation 6."
Ligeledes mener Paul Tassi fra Forbes at en 2026-lancering på PS6 er sandsynligt:
"The Last of Us was out in June 2013. The Last of Us Part 2 was out in June 2020, but that was with Uncharted 4 and Uncharted Lost Legacy being made in between that. So sure, a potential 2026 release date for The Last of Us Part 3 lines up pretty well, and would align with the apparent plans for the HBO show as well. That's what I have to believe is happening here."
Men for nu har vi multiplayer The Last of Us foran os først.