The Last of Us Day is the annual celebration hosted by Naughty Dog to commemorate the iconic gaming franchise. It was formerly known as Outbreak Day; however, the executives felt the name was too on the nose in light of recent real-world events and thought it would be best to change it. Nevertheless, the gaming community is enthusiastic each year, especially with the possibility of the developers showing new content they have been working on since the controversial sequel four years ago.
The game developers often use each event to showcase new artwork and merchandise; however, some fans can’t help but hope for something much more impressive and monumental. Perhaps Naughty Dog will officially reveal Part 3 during the event.
The Gaming Community Should Measure Their Expectations for The Last of Us Day More Realistically
The Last of Us has transcended single-player games in the best way possible. The first two games were both critical and financial success, and director Neil Druckmann thought it was a story worth sharing in a different format, like live-action television. HBO beautifully adapted the first game in its entirety in season one and recently released a small sizzle reel for season two that will be released sometime next year and will cover the controversial sequel across multiple seasons and fans are convinced a full-length teaser will be among the surprises for the upcoming event.
Naughty Dog could go out on the left field and surprise the gaming community with something else instead. Perhaps the wait has been long enough, and the studio could tease the highly-anticipated sequel with a title card by the end of the event to pay off the subtle hints and teases left by Druckmann while celebrating the fourth anniversary of The Last of Us Part 2 months ago.
My predictions for TLOU Day 2024:
• TLOU Season 2 teaser
• TLOU Part II Remastered PC port announcement pic.twitter.com/93XYEIQsUW— Naughty Dog Info 🐾 (@NaughtyDogInfo) September 12, 2024
It is unlikely for a PlayStation first-party studio to reveal a massive project outside of a major event. Regardless, the sequel was inevitable given the success of Part 2, and this will give the game developers more opportunities to introduce new enemies for players to fight and expand the lore of the Infected. The gaming community has always been fascinated by the biology of these mindless creatures and Part 2 expanded that by introducing other variants like Shamblers and the overgrown Rat King.
Alien: Romulus director Fede Alvarez was seen visiting the offices of Naughty Dog and Druckmann jokingly reminded him of the non-disclosure agreement he had signed upon entering. Perhaps Alvarez was given an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what Druckmann is currently working on which could either be a brand-new IP or a sequel to an established franchise like The Last of Us and it could be revealed later this month.
The Last of Us Part 3 Could be This Year’s Massive Reveal
The success of the live-action adaptation has exposed casual audience members who refused to experience this story on a controller and shattered hearts in the process. There is a strong likelihood that the main focus of this year’s event could be a full teaser of The Last of Us Season 2 and Craig Mazin reiterating that the show will not deviate from the source material.
The gap between the original game and sequel has been a steep 7-year wait and the leaps made were noticeably worth it. Perhaps Naughty Dog will give Part 3 the same level of care and effort while providing the gaming community with something to hold on to until then like teasers or concept art.
Fans have their expectations for the sequel like seeing Ellie being somewhat redeemed from her gut-wrenching and rage-fueled quest to Seattle as she killed without remorse and descended to a dark path. Part 3 could complete her story as Druckmann envisioned a throughline for a potential third story.
Naughty Dog has played it safe for the past few years and rarely gives anything major away. At most, fans only received new artwork that can be used as wallpapers for devices and merchandise inspired by the franchise, this year could be the studio’s opportunity to make this annual event worth the wait.
Are you excited for The Last of Us Day? Let us know in the comments section below!
