After the conclusion of The Last of Us Part II, our minds have naturally turned to whether there will indeed be a Last of Us 3 or not. At the moment, nothing has been officially announced by Naughty Dog. However, there has already been much speculation over a possible third entry into this beloved series. In this article, I will address the current rumours in circulation concerning The Last of Us 3, before giving my thoughts and opinions on where the story might go was there to be a third game.
Release Date Rumours: Will there be a Last of Us 3?
Despite the lack of official confirmation by Naughty Dog, rumours are continuing to swirl when to comes to The Last of Us 3. Just a couple of weeks ago, a well reputed source known as ‘ViewerAnon’ claimed that The Last of Us 3 has been in production for the last 6 months. They also stated that Ellie’s role in the third game would be just as important as it was in Part II.
In terms of an actual release date, ViewerAnon also stated that the third entry in the franchise would be a cross-platform title for the PS5 and PS6. If the game’s launch was to coincide with the eventual launch of the PS6, the game could come out around 2028 given that this console generation is expected to be a little longer than previous ones. This launch window would make sense.
The Last of Us Part II released 7 years after the original game in 2020 during the same year that the PS5 was launched. If the Last of Us 3 was to take a similar amount of time to develop, it would make sense for Naughty Dog to have it coincide with Sony’s next major console.
Plot Ideas for The Last of Us 3
There are many ways in which The Last of Us 3 could unfold, assuming that it sees the light of day.
*Major Spoilers Ahead*
The second game in the series ended at somewhat of an anti-climax. Ellie let Abby live. She and Lev sailed off into the distance, and Ellie was left to face the effects that her blind quest for revenge had had on her personal relationships, such as with Dina. Her unrelenting pursuit of Abby was very costly. As a result, I believe that Ellie may try to seek redemption for her actions, and to try to find and repair her relationship with Dina. She may try to track her down and reintegrate into a survivor camp like at the start of the second title. At the same time, I expect Tommy to play a larger role in this game, possibly as a playable character. It was made clear towards the end of Part II, that he himself still seeks vengeance after Abby killed his brother, Joel.
Another part of the game could focus on Abby, Lev and on whoever they end up meeting on their journey. I expect that Abby and Ellie may end up crossing paths yet again in the events that unfold during the game. I believe that the game will continue to explore Ellie’s position as an anti-heroine of sorts as she grapples with the consequences of her previous actions. There may be a conclusion to the animosity between Ellie and Abbie in this title. Abbie states that she would kill Ellie if she ever saw her again in the second game. Perhaps the events of the third game could see them meet again and have a final more definitive confrontation this time.
A last possible take is that Tommy could have a more central role as an anti-hero. The third game could explore his past memories and backstory during when he fighting with Joel to survive in between the outbreak and the events of the first game. What was once Ellie’s quest to seek vengeance, could now become his and it may be up to her and Dina to prevent him for going too far in his own quest for closure after Joel’s untimely death.
It goes without saying that this is all very much speculation at this point. We will have to sit tight and await any possible announcements from Naughty Dog to have more concrete information on what may happen in the third game and on whether it will see the light of day in the first place. In the meantime, we still have the upcoming The Last of Us multiplayer title to look forward to, in addition to the The Last of Us Part II HBO TV series.