I’m a major Naughty Dog fan and while I’d love for the studio’s next game to be The Last of Us Part III, I’m with those who suspect it may be a new IP.

Various little tidbits about the developer’s next project have emerged in recent weeks.

It’s set to be directed and written by Neil Druckmann, which doesn’t exactly rule out The Last of Us Part III.

It’s also confirmed to star Troy Baker, an actor who previously voiced The Last of Us’s Joel and Uncharted’s Sam Drake, which also doesn’t rule out any established IPs.

The project has been in the works since 2020 so could feasibly be nearing completion in the next year or so, with Druckmann expressing that while he has “full control over the game itself”, he does not have control over its announcement.

The reason I doubt it’s The Last of Us Part III is due to that game being teased in this year’s Grounded II documentary by Druckmann, with the clip seemingly filmed recently.

In the doc, Druckmann states that he’s finally landed on an idea for Part III, which makes me think it’s certainly not the project the studio kicked off in 2020.

Whether it be a new IP or something familiar, the project has just established an interesting God of War connection.

The Last of Us on HBO returns for a second season next year.

Developer Raf Grassetti has found a new home at Naughty Dog, it seems, after departing Santa Monica Studio in 2023.

Grassetti has been appointed the role of art director at Naughty Dog after previously serving as art director on the God of War franchise.

On Twitter, Grassetti simply posted a Naughty Dog logo with the caption, “New chapter”.

This is a major win for fans of Naughty Dog.

The God of War franchise boasts stunning visuals and the thought of Grassetti bringing that quality of design to Naughty Dog’s next project is incredibly exciting.

As for when the project will be revealed, we simply don’t know.