Rumours are never far away when fans are eager to see what the next big video game release is from a popular studio and Naughty Dog is no exception.
Before creating the likes of the critically acclaimed Uncharted and The Last of Us series, Naughty Dog shot to fame bringing us the iconic OG PS1 platformer from 1996, Crash Bandicoot, before working on Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy for PS2 in 2001.
Some will argue that Naughty Dog perhaps never reached the heights of critical acclaim until the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves arrived for PS3 in 2007. This cinematic action-adventure masterpiece would set a new standard in the genre that many would try to replicate but would in turn, mostly fail.
When The Last of Us arrived for PS3 in 2013, it changed the tone of what fans were used to from the studio. A dark, gritty post-apocalyptic world plagued by the cordyceps virus that would wipe out much of humanity and would follow the story of Ellie and Joel, a twist of fate that would form an unlikely parental bond between the duo that resulted in one of the most climatic conclusions in all of video game history.
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Not including the 2022 remake of the original The Last of Us, Naughty Dog’s most recent story set in that universe would be The Last of Us Part II in 2020. Set five years after the events of The Last of Us Part I, the sequel is as controversial as they come with certain events still being a hot topic today.
When The Last of Us Part II was released, Naughty Dog also announced that it was working on a standalone multiplayer game set in the same universe. While no release date has ever been given for the multiplayer offering, Naughty Dog recently announced its delay following reports of Bungie raising concerns over its quality.
Thankfully, however, with the bad news, arrived some good news. During the same announcement that The Last of Us multiplayer game had been delayed, Naughty Dog revealed that it was working on a ‘brand-new single-player experience’.
At this time, we don’t know what this ‘brand-new single-player experience’ will be, but given the fact that Naughty Dog has already hinted that The Last of Us Part III is in the works, the natural assumption would be that a trilogy is in the future of the post-apocalyptic series. Various ‘insiders’ have also claimed that The Last of Us Part III is already in production and that it is being developed for the PlayStation 6. Yet,
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As of today, the latest rumours come via Twitter user @ViewerAnon. In a tweet that has now in part been removed, it is claimed that “Ellie is at least as important in LAST OF US PART III as she was in PART II.” The insider added: “All I can say is I’ve been very vocal for quite a while that THE LAST OF US PART III is in development and others are finally noticing. Major filming is happening this year.”
What’s more, as reported by Comicbook.com, when ViewAnon claims that filming is happening this year, they are speaking of motion capture. Furthermore, to add extra context to these recent reports, video game news curator, @RinoTheBouncher tweeted that Ellie will not be the main character. So perhaps much like The Last of Us Part II, there will be at least two main playable characters? Only time will tell.
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Additionally, it is claimed that the game will focus on a group of scavengers that gather inside a Victorian House and Naughty Dog is reportedly looking to cast a “diverse group of new characters. Yet, RinoTheBouncher does suggest that information on The Last of Us Part III could be confused with the multiplayer game.
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It’s worth keeping in mind that all rumours and speculation should be taken with a pinch of salt until proven otherwise. Still, we know that The Last of Us multiplayer game is arriving at some point and Part III is pretty much a given. Hopefully, Naughty Dog and Sony will reveal all in the coming months.
Featured Image Credit: Naughty DogTopics: The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog, PlayStation
