As Time Goes On, One Naughty Dog Trend Seems Even Likelier to Continue

Though Naughty Dog has had something of a storied history over the course of so many decades in the games industry, it has slowly settled into an identity as "the studio behind The Last of Us," for better or worse. Indeed, even as the company moves forward with bold new creative ventures like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, it still feels most defined by its post-apocalyptic duology, which is soon to be a proper trilogy.

Little is known about the next Last of Us entry, other than that it is likely still quite far away. Series lead Neil Druckmann confirmed last year that the third chapter was in its pre-production stage, which may put its tentative release in the final months of the PS5's life cycle. Alternatively, it could release during the early days of the PlayStation 6, perhaps even being a cross-platform release. This may not seem particularly significant, but it is interesting to note, especially when comparing this work-in-progress to its two predecessors, which have followed a similar release strategy.

The Last of Us 3 Could Be the PS5's Swan Song, Just Like the First Two Games

The Last of Us Has Always Been a Generation-Straddling Franchise

It's somewhat interesting that both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2 were released in the final year of their respective consoles' lifecycles. In the case of the first game, this allowed it to far surpass anything shown during that generation, at least on the graphical front, and this same technical innovation and boldness was reflected in Part 2. Released in 2020, TLOU2 is perhaps the best-looking video game on the PS4, exemplifying its hardware capabilities while setting the stage for the next chapter of Sony's console output.

With all that being said, perhaps The Last of Us Part 3 will continue this tradition, leveraging modern advancements in game design, both on the hardware and human ingenuity fronts, to be a truly astonishing technical achievement that says farewell to the PS5. This would be good news for the game, as it could learn from the successes and failures of previous PS5 releases, but it would also reinforce the notion of Naughty Dog being Sony's crown jewel, putting even more pressure on it to succeed. Plus, if The Last of Us Part 3 were to be yet another PlayStation console swan song, it would have to deliver on another set of expectations: it has to be a satisfying send-off for the device.

The Last of Us 3 Being the PS5's Swan Song Would Solidify the Series' Importance

It can be argued that Uncharted and The Last of Us were the one-two punch that put PlayStation back in the game after an underwhelming first half during the PS3 era. Naturally, the gaming megalith owes a lot to Naughty Dog, which has helped shape its brand identity over the course of the last decade, its design philosophies clearly bleeding into other first-party IP like God of War and Spider-Man.

Punctuating the PS5's legacy with The Last of Us 3 may seem only natural, then, as it would be a reminder of the inextricable connection that Naughty Dog's seminal games have to Sony as a company. Of course, a lot of fans would probably like for TLOU3 to hit the market sooner rather than later, but it being a send-off for the PS5 would be nothing if not consistent for the series.