Naughty Dog Begins Looking Ahead as Last Of Us: Part 2 Prepares to Release

As fans eagerly await the release of The Last of Us: Part 2 on June 19, Naughty Dog reveals that they are far from done working on their critically acclaimed games. In an interview with GQ magazine, creative director and writer Neil Druckann said: "As you start wrapping things up, creatively there are fewer and fewer responsibilities and my mind can't help but think about the next thing. So yeah, the next thing could be a part 3, the next thing could be some new IP." 

This hint at another installment in Naughty Dog's phenomenal series is huge news for fans, despite the fact that Part 2's ending has yet to be revealed. Although working from home has been stressful and a huge change for Naughty Dog developers, the fact that Druckmann is looking forward to what's next shows how he and the team at Naughty Dog are committed to their stories, and more importantly, their fans.

Another "next thing" that Druckmann was looking forward to was the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, with Druckmann working closely with the writers of the upcoming show. The director for the show has been revealed as Johan Renck, who was in charge of other HBO blockbusters such as Chernobyl, Breaking Bad, and the zombie thriller The Walking Dead. With shows like these under his belt, along with the fact that he will be working closely with the writer of the Last of Us, the feature will undoubtedly be a showstopper.

Druckmann hints that the show will focus on the characters and drama, potentially revealing new details about Joel's past with his daughter, Sarah. The show being based off a video game series may spark skepticism among many, including co-writer for the show Craig Mazin. However, after learning the story of the game, he said this: "I felt things for Joel and Ellie. I was moved. Its ironic that in a medium where technology has progressed so rapidly and incessantly, the narratives so often feel 8-bit. That's not because of lack of plot. Video games have been drowning in plot for years. The problem was the lack of characters. Neil brought emotional sophistication but maybe more importantly, he brought confidence--confidence that story and characters were worth stopping for." The project has only recently been announced and staffed, so no official news concerning the release date has been planned.

The Last of Us: Part 2 releases on June 19 for PlayStation 4.

Kieran Mouritsen
Editor, NoobFeed