Naughty Dog's Next Big Adventure: Uncharted Return or The Last of Us Part III?

Fans have talked about what Naughty Dog's next big project might be for years. Is it a follow-up to Uncharted, a return to The Last of Us, or something completely different? Many longtime fans, including those who have been following the studio like a hawk, think the company has been working in secret on a new Uncharted game alongside its next big project, Intergalactic.

For a long time, there has been increasing evidence of a second project underway. The director of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy left Naughty Dog years ago to work on Marvel's Avengers. He or she has since come back to work for the company. Neil Druckmann himself revealed earlier this year that the studio is working on more than one project. On the second project, he's only helping to direct it, though.

A hint that Uncharted will be back.

It all started in 2023 when an internal PlayStation ad showed a young girl holding a torch. Many people, including the speaker, thought the girl was Cassie Drake, Nathan Drake's daughter. Fans quickly came up with the idea that the preview was a hint at an Uncharted 5 or some other kind of return for the series.

After a few years, the ad is still fresh in people's minds, and Naughty Dog hasn't said anything public about it. Still, many people think it makes sense to play Uncharted again. The franchise's history remains strong, and people are growing increasingly excited about a possible return.

At the same time, people are talking again about The Last of Us. Neil Druckmann has spoken publicly about The Last of Us more than once, mostly about the second season of the show and the idea for The Last of Us Part III. Insiders know better than those who said earlier that nothing was ever written. Developers often keep things secret to keep people from getting too excited, and it's clear that they've at least thought about making a third game.

Jak and Daxter are still out there, but never forgotten.

For some fans, the idea of Jak & Daxter coming back is still alive and well. The chance is still very low—maybe just 1% or 2%, as the speaker puts it—but it's not completely impossible. But Astro Bot's recent success and Ratchet & Clank's planned return under Insomniac's direction give fans of old PlayStation models new hope.

Naughty Dog's attention seems to be on something else, though. Since Intergalactic is set to be the studio's next big IP, it's not likely that the "secondary team" is also working on something else. In all likelihood, it has something to do with either Uncharted or The Last of Us.

A new report recently made it clear that Naughty Dog's second project is not a smaller game. Thus, it most likely won't be like The Lost Legacy or a short The Last of Us spin-off. Instead, it sounds like a full-fledged, high-budget release, which supports the idea that the studio may be bringing Uncharted back to life in a big way.

The dream of a two-year Naughty Dog cycle.

When Naughty Dog launched a game every two to three years, like Uncharted 1, 2, and 3, and then The Last of Us, it was a golden age. Even Uncharted 4 came out within three years, and Part II came out only four years after that. But lately, the studio has been moving much more slowly, especially since Factions was canceled.

Fans miss the times when Naughty Dog could make several great games in the console age. Imagine a world where Intergalactic comes out in 2027, another game comes out in 2028, and The Last of Us Part III comes out in 2030. That would feel like a real PlayStation rebirth.

The report says, Uncharted is "far, far" their favorite. People who like the series say that fans miss it a lot. They're not wrong; Uncharted 4 came out almost ten years ago, and Lost Legacy came out in 2017. There haven't been any new episodes of this show in a long time.

The legacy of Uncharted and lost chances.

Uncharted 4 is still one of the best-selling PlayStation-only games of all time, with 16 to 17 million copies sold. With the way games are made now, a new Uncharted could easily match or even beat those numbers. There is a strong desire and a strong sense of nostalgia.

There's more to the link between Uncharted and The Last of Us than just sales. Naughty Dog has always used learning from one to improve the other, working on things like storylines, animation, and character depth. That exchange of ideas could help both brands take their next big step forward.

Of course, the person's bias hurts things. The report discusses bringing Nathan Drake back, having Cassie Drake in charge, and having Nate act as a guide like Sully. It would also make sense to have spin-offs with Chloe or Sam, but the most important thing is to bring Uncharted back.

The Last of Us: A franchise that needs to grow.

The Last of Us is still very important to Naughty Dog and Sony. The HBO show has made the brand more well-known outside of games, but with success comes pressure. Since The Last of Us Part III doesn't look like it will come out for years, people might lose interest if there isn't any new material.

Based on the schedule discussed, fans probably wouldn't see Part III until the end of the decade, even if work started right away. Wow, that's a long break for a series that does well in both games and TV. There are reports that the show might end with the plot of Part II, but many people think that wasn't the original plan.

Why Uncharted makes the most sense.

In the end, the talk comes back to the question of feasibility. If Naughty Dog really does have two big projects, and Intergalactic is one of them, then Uncharted makes sense as the other one. Neil Druckmann directly made and oversees The Last of Us, but someone else could more easily take over as director of Uncharted.

That difference is important. Druckmann may always have a hand in The Last of Us, but Uncharted could use a new direction and maybe even new ideas for how to make games. The speaker goes so far as to say that many fans might want an Uncharted game without Druckmann's direct involvement.

This point of view is more like hope than theory in the end; a strong desire to see the Uncharted series return. There is a strong desire for another treasure-hunting quest, whether it's Uncharted 5, a Cassie Drake story, or a different game.