The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann teases a “few stops” left for its post-apocalyptic series

Head of Naughty Dog Neil Druckmann has shared two early sketches of what would eventually become Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us, teasing a “few stops” still left on the series’ “road ahead”.

In an Instagram post shared earlier this week, Druckmann wrote: “Cleaning out the garage today and stumbled on my original sketches from 2003 for a game pitch about a man, his surrogate daughter, and a trek across a broken America.”

That game would, of course, become The Last of Us, one of the studio’s most prolific entries to date. Adding it had been a “wild journey”, Druckmann closed his post with a brief teaser. “Grateful for every part of it, especially the few stops that remain on the road ahead,” he wrote, firmly suggesting that The Last of Us will not end with Part 2.

Many fans have been hoping for a third series entry since the release of The Last of Us Part 2 in 2020. In 2021, Druckmann said he’d penned a story outline for a potential The Last of Us Part 3, and admitted there’d been “quite a bit” discussion about a sequel. In 2023, the Naughty Dog exec once again addressed a possible third series entry again, saying he was open to it, but only if the team could come up with a “compelling story” to tell. Then, in 2024, Druckmann said he had a “concept” ready for a third and final chapter of the studio’s Last of Us series.

“I don’t have a story, but I do have that concept that, to me, is as exciting as [Part 1], as exciting as [Part 2], is its own thing, yet has this throughline for all three [games]. So it does feel like there’s probably one more chapter to this story,” he said at the time.

Oddly, though, he then seemed to go back on all of that last year, when he said: “Don’t bet on there being more.” So, what’s the deal, Druckmann?

Naughty Dog is getting quite a bit of mileage out of its The Last of Us series. Along with an upcoming third season of HBO’s The Last of Us TV adaptation, the developer in the last couple of years has also debuted a souped-up PlayStation 5 Part 2 Remastered release, as well as a PC version of The Last of Us Part 2 (which followed a PC release and remastered release of the first game in the series).

Away from The Last of Us, the studio is currently working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the start of an all new franchise. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was first announced at the end of 2024, with a trailer featuring a retro futuristic energy that introduced us to Tati Gabrielle’s bounty hunter, Jordan A Mun.

While we still don’t know a huge amount about Naughty Dog’s upcoming release, Druckmann revealed last March that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophecy explores the topics of “faith and religion”.