Free TLoU 2 Doc Available. Neil Druckmann Concept for The Last of Us 3
Naughty Dog studio has released a heralded documentary, in which we learn about the behind-the-scenes development of The Last of Us: Part 2, the 2020 blockbuster „exclusive.” At the end of the footage, the production's director and writer, Neil Druckmann, revealed that he has a concept for The Last of Us: Part 3.
Update (11:59 PM)
At 1:56:38 of the footage below, Neil Druckmann, director and screenwriter of TLoU and TLoU 2, said a few words about a possible third installment of the series:
I did some other interview where someone asked me about The Last of Us, and would there be any more stories or something. I mentioned we have written a story that takes place after The Last of Us: Part II that stars Tommy. I hope one day we get to make it. The headlines across the industry were like, "Naughty Dog has outlined The Last of Us Part III." And that's actually wrong. It was always a small story, it was never a full title. At the time, we had higher priorities at Naughty Dog, to fix our pipeline, to fix work-life balance issues. Just based on where we where, I didn't wanna prioritize this story, so that story was shelved. I still believe one day it will see the light of day. I don't know, if it'll be a game or a show... TBD.
The first game had such a clean concept of the unconditional love a parent feels for their child. The second one, once we landed on this idea of the pursuit of justice at any cost, justice for the ones you love, it felt like there's a clean concept here and there's a through-line from the first game about love. If we never get to do it again, this is a fine ending point. The last bite of the apple, the story's done. The great thing about working at Naughty Dog is that what we don't have to. It's always like, we would love another The Last of Us, but if you guys are passionate about something else, we'll support this other thing. Very privileged position to be in. I never take that for granted.
I've been thinking about, "Is there a concept there?" And for now years, I haven't been able to find that concept. But recently that's changed. I don't have a story, but I do have that concept, that, to me, is as exciting as I, as exciting as II, is its own thing, yet has this through-line for all 3. So it does feel like... there's probably one more chapter to this story.
Original news
As announced, Naughty Dog studio released an almost 1.5-hour documentary (below) devoted to the behind-the-scenes work on The Last of Us: Part II.
The video titled Grounded II: Making The Last of Us: Part II has been in production since 2016. The film takes us through the tedious, complicated, and sometimes problematic process of developing AAA game - from the difficult time of the pandemic to the successful launch of the game. The game, according to our reviewer, Matthias Pawlikowski, was supposed to "set the world on fire" - which it undoubtedly succeeded in doing thanks to its controversial script, which still polarizes fans of the series to this day.
The video material from Naughty Dog studio addressed challenging industry topics, such as data leaks and the phenomenon known as crunch, which is the bane of modern game development.
So, it appears that the mentioned film is essential for those who wish to learn more about the inner workings of a studio developing AAA games.
I will remind you that Naughty Dog studio presented similar material to the world 9 years ago, which accompanied the premiere of the remastered version of the first part of The Last of Us. Grounded II is, in a way, a complement to the refreshed version of The Last Of Us: Part II, which was released on the market less than two weeks ago and which, despite many question marks, was well received - at least by critics.
