If you’re a regular around these parts, you’ve likely heard me wax lyrical about The Last of Us, whether that be one of the games or HBO’s incredible TV adaptation.

Fair to say, I’m a big fan of the franchise, so it’s no surprise that I’m itching to see what’s next from Naughty Dog.

Just to help paint the picture, I’m typing this whilst I sip from Joel’s The Last of Us Part II mug.

But I digress. I’m far from being the only one who’s keen to discover what developers have been cooking up.

Could it be The Last of Us Part III? Well, it’s not out of the question.

In the Grounded II documentary, Neil Druckmann confirmed that he finally had an idea for what that game might look like.

The only evidence against it being Part III is the fact that the interview segment I’m referring to was seemingly filmed recently whereas Naughty Dog’s next game has supposedly been in development since 2020.

That then points to it being a brand new IP, one we know that Druckmann is writing and directing.

Druckmann recently said that while he had “full control over the game itself”, he didn’t have control over when Sony might reveal it, suggesting a reveal could be ready to debut.

To add fuel to the fire, another tidbit about the upcoming release has now surfaced.

In an interview with GQ Magazine, it’s been confirmed that Troy Baker is starring in Naughty Dog’s next game, whatever it is.

“Beyond that it gets hazy, but he will return for Druckmann’s new project at Naughty Dog,” the profile read.

Does this add weight to The Last of Us Part III theory? Not particularly.

Certainly, it could be that with Joel appearing in additional flashbacks, but Druckmann and Baker are regular collaborators.

Don’t forget that Baker was brought in by Naughty Dog to play Sam Drake in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

It would be no major surprise for the actor to be involved in a new IP for the studio, especially as one of the leading names in the industry.

Whatever the case may be, fans are excited.

“Well of course! Baker and Druckmann are a perfect match. It’s near impossible to not have one without the other. Like the game version of Scorsese and DeNiro or Tarantino and Jackson,” wrote Twitter user NathanMiller88.

“One of the GOATs of video game voice acting,” added Kyle_French16.

There are also a bajillion tweets suggesting that this may be signalling a The Last of Us prequel.

Whatever Naughty Dog is cooking up, I simply hope it lives up to expectation.