The Last of Us is bigger now than it ever has been, taking the critical acclaim and sales success of the games and translating it into the most talked-about TV show on HBO right now.
The first game was recently remade for PS5 and coming to PC in March, but what about a The Last of Us Part III? Well, it might not actually happen.
Speaking to Buzzfeed, the game's director and TV series boss Neil Druckmann explained studio Naughty Dog are free to move on from the series, confirming that they have done exactly that with Uncharted, while reiterating that The Last of Us multiplayer game is on the way.
Related: The Last of Us: How to watch episode one for free
"We've been pretty open that the next Last of Us game is going to be this multiplayer experience, where you'll be able to enter the world of The Last of Us with your friend and get to experience the tension and the brutality of that world," he explained.
"[It's] a brand new story and cast of characters that live in another city that we haven't seen yet in the world of The Last of Us. This is going to be another chapter in the universe of The Last of Us.
"Beyond that, I know there's a bunch of people wondering about The Last of Us Part III and whether that will be a thing or not. All I could say is, at Naughty Dog we're very, very privileged that our publisher is Sony – which means Sony funds our games, supports us... people think there's all this pressure and we have to make a sequel. That's not the case.
"For us, Uncharted was insanely successful – Uncharted 4 was one of our best selling games – and we're able to put our final brushstroke on that story and say that we're done. We're moving on.
Related: The Last of Us creators reveal axed plot with this doomed character
"Likewise, with The Last of Us, it's up to us whether we want to continue it or not. Our process is the same thing we did when we did Part II, which is if we can come up with a compelling story that has this universal message and statement about love – just like the first and second game did – then we will tell that story. If we can't come up with something, we have a very strong ending with Part II and that will be the end."
While the future of the games may be uncertain beyond the multiplayer game (which doesn't have a title or release date yet), the TV series has just been confirmed for a second season, and photos teasing this weekend's episodes have been shared online by a familiar face.
The Last of Us airs on HBO in the US, and on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in the UK.
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