Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann revealed almost a year ago that he had begun writing the plot draft for The Last of Us Part 3 and was exploring new narrative possibilities for the franchise while specifying a new chapter in the acclaimed series was not entered the development stage.
According to the insider Oops Leaks reports (which in the past, for example, spoke of BioShock 4 and the exclusive PS5 of Deviation Games), Druckmann would have defined the draft of The Last of Us Part 3, with the game potentially ready. to enter a more concrete phase of its realization.
According to the source, development could start sooner than expected considering how Sony’s studio has expanded in recent months and years, however, the priority is currently on something else.
In particular, Naughty Dog would be very focused on completing the work on the online multiplayer game of The Last of Us, which in the original plans should have debuted alongside The Last of Us Part 2.
The Last of Us Part III
Nothing but official statements from the studio, the outline of the script is ready, but the studio is engrossed in the development of the aforementioned projects. It is possible that development will begin faster than expected due to studio’s expansion.
— Oops Leaks (@oopsleaks) March 31, 2022
According to what the insider declares, the studio has needed more time since he moved from the initial formula of the battle royale to a hybrid solution between Escape from Tarkov and The Division, enriched by modes inspired by those of the online multiplayer of the first The Last of Us. The title should be distributed in free-to-play format with the expected launch first on PS5 and then also on PC.
The insider adds to his speech that Naughty Dog would also be working on a new fantasy IP, already in the active production phase and that would not see the involvement of Neil Druckmann. The leaker says he has more information on several of Sony’s in-house studios and that he will have news to share in the coming days.
Doubts arise when Jason Schreier suggests that Sony’s studio is also working on the remake of The Last of Us: can the software house have all the necessary resources to carry out all these projects at the same time? As always, it will be good to take with due caution what is reported while waiting for future official Naughty Dog updates.
NAUGHTY DOG
TLOU Online Game
Planned as a Battle Royale but got completely rebooted. Described as a mix of Tarkov and Division with additional modes inspired by the original Factions MP. Single-player-like experience in online game. F2P, first on PS5 with further release on PC. pic.twitter.com/VyY7riRFjL
— Oops Leaks (@oopsleaks) March 31, 2022