The Last of Us is expanding its canon with two new projects, Naughty Dog confirms

Naughty Dog chief Neil Druckmann has provided a concrete update on the future of The Last of Us, confirming two new projects that will expand the canon of The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II.

In early September 2026, Druckmann teased the series' future. “It’s important for us to note that, as the creator of the games, Naughty Dog is still the steward of this IP, and even though this might be the end of this adaptation [HBO's TV series], we’re not done with The Last of Us,” he said.

“There’s a couple of projects in the works that, when the time is right, I’m very excited to talk about.” Now, Druckmann has expanded on those comments, confirming that the two projects will each add to The Last of Us canon.

Here’s what Neil Druckmann said about the latest The Last of Us update

“Since Grounded II, we’ve talked about the possibility of telling more stories in the world of The Last of Us,” said Druckmann in a Naughty Dog blog post, celebrating The Last of Us Day.

We have a couple of very exciting new projects in very early stages – so we can’t say much about them at this point. I will tell you that both projects will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part I and Part II.

The world of The Last of Us means a great deal to us, and we wouldn’t return to it unless we had something meaningful to say. We believe these stories are worth telling.”

READ MORE: The Last of Us gets free PS5 download, more announcements teased for next week

What does this mean for the future of The Last of Us?

At this time, we can only speculate. Especially as each unannounced project is in the very early stages of development. However, it’s a promising update for fans of The Last of Us, nonetheless.

No doubt, many will be hoping that at least one of those projects is The Last of Us Part III. As for the other, it could be anything. If it is The Last of Us Part III, it might be wise to assume it will either arrive towards the end of the PS5’s life cycle or at some point during the PS6 era.

Perhaps Naughty Dog might revive the cancelled standalone multiplayer game set in The Last of Us universe, or perhaps it’s not video game related at all. Only time will tell.

That being said, we’ll be sure to keep you updated as soon as we hear any further developments on the future of The Last of Us series.

Naughty Dog shares a fresh update on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

In the very same Naughty Dog blog post, Neil Druckmann also provided a fresh update on the status of the studio’s next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

“The team is heads down on what is shaping up to be Naughty Dog’s most ambitious game yet,” the post read. “But…we need to cook for just a little bit longer.”

“So we want to set expectations: we’re going to be quiet for the rest of this year. In 2027, that changes. We’ll fully reveal Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and give you a proper look at Jordan’s wild sci-fi adventure.”

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was revealed at The Game Awards in 2024, and this is probably the most substantial update that Naughty Dog has provided since. So, we’ll have to be a little more patient to see the game in action, but hopefully, it will all be worth it.

For now at least, we can still enjoy The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II on PC and PlayStation 5, while we wait for news on The Last of Us Part III.