Naughty Dog seems ready to move on from Ellie’s story in its hit post-apocalyptic survival game franchise, The Last of Us, as the studio has two new projects in the works that are set to expand the franchise’s canon beyond the first two games.
Outlined via a blog post celebrating The Last of Us Day 2026, studio head Neil Druckmann wrote that the team has spoken about the “possibility of telling more stories in the world of The Last of Us“, revealing that the studio has two new projects in very early stages, and that both will “expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part I and Part II.”
With this, it’s heavily implied that whatever new project is in store will move the franchise’s narrative away from Ellie and Abby’s story, which is a logical move considering how the ending of 2020’s The Last of Us Part II neatly wrapped up the conclusion of both characters. In addition, the studio also adds that these new stories are “worth telling”, assuring that it “wouldn’t return to [the franchise] unless we had something meaningful to say.”
This move would likely be a welcome change for most fans, especially after the decidedly mixed reception of the previous game, which drew negative reactions from some for trying to humanise its “villain”, the WLF soldier Abby. Having a new story separate from the characters established so far will no doubt be a fresh start for the franchise and help to move away from the unwarranted hate.
Still, these projects are still in their very early stages, so it will likely be some time before fans get their first look at what the future holds for the franchise. Meanwhile, Naughty Dog is now all hands on deck for its upcoming new IP, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and although the studio explained that fans won’t see anything more on the title for the rest of 2026, the game will receive a “proper look” next year.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
