The Last Of Us Director Neil Druckmann Is Working On A Second, Unannounced Naughty Dog Game

The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann has announced that he is currently working on another Naughty Dog title in addition to the recently revealed Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Though we've known for some time that the studio is currently working on multiple projects--and that's excluding the recently canceled The Last of Us Online, to be clear--this is our first confirmation that Druckmann is involved in a game other than Intergalactic. Considering Druckmann has confirmed that he does have a concept for The Last of Us III and felt like there would probably be "one more chapter to the story," it seems entirely plausible that the second game could be a new entry in The Last of Us series.

Druckmann shared the big news on the Press X to Continue podcast (later reported on by VGC), stating: "There's another game that's being worked on at Naughty Dog where I'm in more of a producer role and I get to mentor, watch this other team, and give feedback and be the executive in the room. I enjoy all those roles, and the fact that I jump from one to the next makes my job very exciting and always feeling fresh. I’m never bored."

The creative director also clarified that he is currently working on Intergalactic alongside two other Naughty Dog directors, Matthew Gallant and Kurt Margenau, and co-writer Clair Carré. VGC noted this means that Naughty Dog still has two other prominent game directors who are currently unattached to any of its announced projects: Shaun Escayg (Uncharted: The Lost Legacy) and Anthony Newman (The Last of Us: Part II).

Though it is possible that the studio could be hard at work on a new IP, all signs point to Druckmann's unannounced game being The Last of Us Part III. After all, Naughty Dog has stated it has no plans to continue the Uncharted series and prominent video game leakers have hinted that the game is in development for quite some time now.

Additionally, recent remarks from HBO's The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin have only fueled these rumors. Following the show being renewed for a third season, Mazin stated that a fourth season will "be essential," which is curious considering the current pacing of the television series and how much source material remains. This paired with the fact that Mazin previously said he will not take the HBO show "past the game" make it seem like it's only a matter of time until The Last of Us Part III is announced.