Naughty Dog vice president Neil Druckmann, who worked as creative director for The Last of Us Part 2, has dismissed the idea that the studio is already working on a third title in the series. The game, which released earlier this month, is the long-awaited sequel to the 2013 action-adventure PlayStation 3 game. It is a direct continuation of the story, exploring the lives of Ellie and Joel as they deal with the consequences of their earlier actions.
Although The Last of Us Part 2 was eagerly anticipated, the game has proven to be controversial. Several high profile leaks spoiled important plot details several weeks before the title's official launch date. Meanwhile, some fans have taken exception to certain characters and story choices made by the developer. That hasn't stopped the game from receiving widespread critical acclaim and setting a number sales records in the UK.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Indie Wire, Neil Druckmann revealed that Naughty Dog is not currently working on a sequel to The Last of Us Part 2. The creative director explained that working on a sequel was much harder than developing the first game. This is because they had to try to not just repeat what had made the original title so popular. "With the first game there were no expectations and it was like we could do anything," said Druckmann. "But now that we’ve established certain characters and themes and processes, it felt like to justify making a “Part II” we had to do something not that fans would just be comfortable with, but do something that would match the emotional core we found in the first game."
The designer went on to say that he is unsure how he and the rest of the team would do that at the moment, so a third entry in the franchise is not something they are currently considering. Work would only begin once the studio had a genuine reason to revisit the series. "Finding it with the sequel was much harder than it was with the first game," he said. "Going forward it would be exponentially harder to justify going back to that world and finding a way to vary things up." Given how long it took to make The Last Of Us Part 2 after the first game's success, it makes sense that Naughty Dog and Druckmann wouldn't have anything prepared for a follow-up, too.
Even though The Last of Us Part 2 has angered some sections of the fan base, the game has proven to be a hit with most players. However, it is probably a good thing that Naughty Dog is not rushing to make another sequel anytime soon, especially if claims of crunch at the studio are true. The employees would almost certainly prefer to get to grips with another project to give them a change of scenery. Of course, that doesn't mean a third entry won't happen as The Last of Us Part 2 didn't arrive until almost seven years after the original.
Source: Indie Wire