Since the launch of the PS5 generation, Naughty Dog has been in an interesting spot. With their previous live-service The Last of Us plans being ultimately cancelled, the studio has so far yet to release an original game this console generation. That said, it appears as though the team are hard at work right now on multiple different projects, with insiders claiming that alongside the previously-announced Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Naughty Dog is also working on new entries in both the Uncharted and Last of Us franchises.

A little over a year ago, known industry insider DanielRPK claimed that alongside development on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Naughty Dog were also working on a second mysterious project.

Since then, the studio itself confirmed as much, though very few additional details were shared. Now, in the wake of a recent post by Naughty Dog creative Director Shaun Escayg which seemed to show off research for what could be a new Uncharted title, DanielRPK has returned with new revelations.

Corroborating claims made by the insider ‘Alir’ it appears as though alongside the aforementioned mystery second project, a 3rd title is also in the works.

Though this should of course be taken with a pinch of salt, according to Alir the next title from Naughty Dog following Intergalactic will be a new Uncharted game. Then, at some point in the presumably distant future, this will be followed up by The Last of us Part III.

While TLOU Part II did offer a somewhat satisfying conclusion to the story of Joel and Ellie, there is certainly plenty of juice left in the tank to continue the narrative if Naughty Dog chooses to.

As mentioned however, Naughty Dog’s release schedule for this generation has been pretty barren, and so even assuming these leaks to be true, Intergalactic could still very well be the only new game we see from the team during this current console generation.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this leaked release schedule? Would you welcome a 3rd Last of Us eventually, or do you want to see Naughty Dog move away from the franchise? Let us know down below.

What was once their bread and butter, Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise has not seen a new entry since the 2017 spin-off ‘The Lost Legacy’. Despite this, many fans continue to yearn for the return of the IP in one form or another (live-action movies not included). While it could very well be hopium, one of the creative directors at Naughty Dog has teased that they are conducting research for what appears to be a very Uncharted-esque project.

Taking to Instagram, Naughty Dog creative director Shaun Escayg shared a vibrant image of an old cannon overlooking a beautiful island alongside the caption “Research…”

While nothing else was provided in the way of details or context, fans quickly discovered that the picture in question was taken from Fort George in Trinidad & Tobago. Of course, even without the exact location, the photo itself gives major Uncharted vibes, leading many to hope that Naughty Dog could be in the early stages of work on a revival.

For context, Shaun Escayg is a creative director at Naughty Dog who is perhaps best known for leading the charge on the highly-underrated ‘The Lost Legacy’ spin-off back in 2017. Since then, the studio has been in a bit of an odd spot.

Of course, they launched the successful-yet-controversial The Last of Us Part II in 2020 followed by a remake of Part I in 2022. Unfortunately, the long-awaited TLOU Online was ultimately cancelled, and so as of right now all that is known officially is that the team are working on the brand new IP Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and a second mystery project.

Given that Intergalactic is being headed by Neil Druckmann, having Shaun Escayg take charge on bringing back Uncharted would make a great deal of sense. It will be interesting to see what this ‘research’ proves to be referring to.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of the post? Could it be teasing a new Uncharted game? What direction would you want to see a revival take? Let us know down below.

Sony caught a lot of criticism for cancelling The Last of Us Online a couple of years ago. Recently, the former director on that game talked a bit more about it, sharing that the game was ‘80% complete' when it was scrapped. 

The Last of Us Online was almost complete and ready to go, according to Vinit Agarwal, who directed the game. In an interview on the LelPodcast (via Eurogamer), the director explained that Sony had put a lot of money into the game after the 2020 boom, but had cut back on spending around 2023, as did most other publishers across the industry.

Aside from the game being near completion, the director also shared that the game was finally going to get its public reveal just one day after the cancellation. If true, that means a trailer must have been prepared, which would have given fans a long overdue look at what this game was supposed to be.

The Last of Us Online began as an experimental multiplayer mode for The Last of Us Part 2 but eventually spun off into its own standalone game. The title was infamously cancelled after an internal review, in which Bungie reportedly provided negative feedback on the future viability of the game. However, in this interview, Agarwal suggests the issue was different – Naughty Dog only had so much budget left over and putting more resources into The Last of Us Online would have meant that The Heretic Prophet would be put on ice.

KitGuru Says: Were you looking forward to The Last of Us Online? At the very least, I do hope we get to see some footage of it at some stage, as the game remained shrouded in mystery right up to its cancellation.