“I can’t guarantee it,” said The Last of Us director, walking back earlier statements that sparked anxiety among fans. Neil Druckmann explains that “many stars have to align” for any project to actually reach completion.

Even Neil Druckmann himself doesn’t know what lies ahead for The Last of Us series. Back in February 2024, he thrilled fans by confirming that The Last of Us: Part 3 was real and already in production. Fast forward to 2025, and the same creative voice behind the franchise has advised fans not to assume another entry will arrive—comments that caused widespread unease among the community. So what’s going on behind the scenes? While Naughty Dog’s co-president hasn’t gone into great detail, he’s now clarified his remarks to suggest that not every game makes it all the way to release.

Druckmann offered these thoughts during a brief interview at the HBO premiere of The Last of Us Season 2, shared via Etalk. In the segment, which also featured cast members and producers, he stated: “I treat every project I work on as if it were my last. I just pour everything into it and leave nothing on the table.”

“I wasn’t sure I’d get another chance to make one”

According to Druckmann, this all-in mindset has defined his work on every major game he’s been involved in. “When we made the first The Last of Us, I approached it that way—I wasn’t sure I’d get to make a sequel. It needed to feel complete. Same with Uncharted 4. Same when I was working on The Last of Us 2—I thought, ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do this again.’ So it also had a definitive ending.”

He continued: “To make another one, to do something new—so many stars have to align. So I can’t guarantee it.” Druckmann added that his current focus is entirely on the second season of the HBO show. “Right now, I’m all in on this season. If HBO renews it, then I’ll shift to the next one. I’m also working on a new game called Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. I take things one project at a time.” For now, then, the status of The Last of Us: Part 3 remains uncertain.

Why Druckmann avoids thinking about sequels too early

This isn’t the first time Druckmann has explained his creative approach. He’s long preferred putting all his energy into a single, fully formed game rather than leaving threads open for a potential follow-up. As he mentioned in February 2024, “I try not to think about sequels in advance” because, in his words, “that kind of confidence is something I don’t have”. He even admitted that doing so might “jinx” the work he’s trying to create in the present.

Source: 3djuegos