The Last of Us Part 3 is currently in active development at Naughty Dog. Part 2 was released in 2020—and since then, fans have been eagerly waiting for a hint from the developers about Part 3. During this time, we also got the HBO show based on the game.
Recently, Naughty Dog posted an ad on their official website for a Senior Gameplay Animator. The job listing hints that The Last of Us Part 3 is in active development. They are looking for a candidate with a “strong understanding of creature animation and mechanics to craft gameplay animations for a broad range of creatures of varied types.”
So, how does this represent a hint about Part 3? The repeated use of the term ‘creatures‘ instead of ‘animals‘ strongly suggests a reference to the Infected from The Last of Us, who have historically never been called zombies by the developers.
Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann mentioned in a recent interview that The Last of Us Part 3 will have a central theme that will indicate the direction of the story. Druckmann explained that the first two games were written with ‘clean’ thematic cores in mind. Part 3 may be more hopeful than the previous games—and a clean, straightforward theme like acceptance could suggest the general direction of the game’s story.
HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 has wrapped filming. Editor Timothy Good has confirmed that post-production has begun, and it will premiere on HBO in 2025. The second season, based on the 2020 game The Last of Us Part II developed by Naughty Dog, follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in the aftermath of the first season and introduces Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). Craig Mazin and Druckmann serve as showrunners.
In Season 2, Pascal stars as Joel Miller, with Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Rutina Wesley as Maria, Dever as Abby, Young Mazino as Jesse, Isabela Merced as Dina, Danny Ramirez as Manny, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Catherine O’Hara in an undisclosed guest role, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac Dixon.
The Last of Us Season 2 will contain 7 episodes and premiere on HBO in early 2025.
