The Last of Us Part 3 is reportedly already in development at Naughty Dog and will be the next game from director Neil Druckmann after Factions.
Although The Last of Us Part 2's release wasn't that long ago, rumours have been swirling for some time about what Naughty Dog is up to next. We already know about the Factions sequel that's seemingly coming in 2023, but it's also been suggested that the studio is working on a brand-new IP, one that's seemingly fantasy themed. It's now also being reported that the team is also working on The Last of Us Part 3.
This report comes courtesy of Twitter user ViewerAnon, who has previously leaked that Ashley Johnson would be playing Ellie's mother on HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us. ViewerAnon also previously leaked the existence of Crash Bandicoot 4, so they seem to have a pretty accurate track record when it comes to leaks.
After jokingly saying that they would drop a scoop if they didn't get an invite to the presser for HBO's adaptation, ViewerAnon tweeted, "Well, I'm not watching anything, so... Dr. Uckmann's next game is THE LAST OF US PART III which is currently in production at Naughty Dog. I've seen a lot of "Should we trust this person?" from new people to the account, so various scoops I've had in the gaming-adjacent space: I revealed a whole lot of TLOU show details (ie Ashley Johnson as Anna), was the first to mention the existence of CRASH BANDICOOT 4".
ViewerAnon then clarified to another Twitter user that the Factions sequel would be the next game from Naughty Dog, but that The Last of Us Part 3 would come after that. When asked about Uncharted and the rumoured new IP from Naughty Dog, they said that Uncharted would be handled by "another studio" and that they weren't sure about the new IP.
As with any leak, it's worth taking this report with a pinch of salt, but ViewerAnon has been accurate in their reporting before, and Neil Druckmann himself has previously confirmed that he has some ideas for a third game.