The Last of Us Part 3 leak teases a new set of antagonists

If you sat down with a The Last of Us fan and asked them which question they most wanted answered with regards to the franchise, I’m imagining most would all have the same response: is The Last of Us Part III ever set to land?

It’s certainly the question on my mind and in fact, it’s one that’s been posed to franchise creator Neil Druckmann on multiple occasions earlier this year during the promo tour for HBO’s The Last of Us’ second season.

Druckmann’s answers were … varied to say the least.

You may recall that Druckmann previously teased a third game in the Grounded II: The Making of The Last of Us Part II documentary.

Then during the press tour, he swung from suggesting that we shouldn’t expect more to declarations that he stood by what he said in that documentary.

Personally, I think a third game is definitely coming but Druckmann won’t want to admit as much as he’s focused on HBO’s The Last of Us, Intergalactic, and Naughty Dog’s mystery third game (which is more likely to be an Uncharted reboot than anything The Last of Us related).

Why do I feel this way?

Well, Ellie hasn’t exactly had time to come to terms with what her immunity means to her now that Joel is out of the picture - and that’s really the centrepoint of the franchise.

It’s easy money for Sony too - and as much as Naughty Dog claims to have free reign, that’s going to factor in.

And then there’s the following leak which claims that not only does The Last of Us Part III exist, but that it's already begun filming its motion capture.

This information previously came to light courtesy of DanielRPK.

It’s for that reason that I urge you to approach this with a pinch of salt.

DanielRPK has so many ‘teases’ that it sometimes feels like he may just be throwing speculative guesses out there but occasionally, he’s been correct and I have to say, this particular ‘leak’ is pretty detailed.

As reported by ComicBook, DanielRPK posted to his Patreon page that The Last of Us Part III will feature a group of survivors taking shelter in a large Victorian house on the outskirts of a major city.

That group is made up of leader Val, alongside Gracie, Mason, Ezra, and Lucas.

The leaker claims that Mason seeks to take control of the group, with Ezra forced to address with whom his loyalties lie.

Lucas, on the other hand, is said to develop a relationship with another scavenger, leading to a “turn that shows his dark side”.

Of course, Ellie and Abby aren’t mentioned here, but it does all sound plausible and on-brand - as if this group may cause problems for one of our heroes, if you can even call Ellie and Abby that at this point.

It’s well worth considering that DanielRPK also tracked down casting concept art from the senior manager of casting and talent at Sony PlayStation Studios.

While the faces were blanked out, the art style of the characters screamed Naughty Dog.

As I said, keep that pinch of salt handy but it certainly smells like a third game is quietly being worked on.