I recently had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Troy Baker on an episode of Insider Gaming’s Access Granted series, and during our 40-minute chat, we covered a vast wealth of topics. Given his history, it was only natural that the conversation eventually turned to The Last of Us, which snuck into the interview just as we were wrapping up.
Eager to learn his thoughts on my ‘pitch’ for a third game, I put my opinions on the table and sat back to hear what Troy had to say. He was his usual eloquent self, giving nothing away, but suggesting that, whatever comes next, he’s here for every second of it.
Make sure you download the Insider Gaming app to not miss when this episode of Access Granted goes live:
The ‘Mystery’ of Tommy and Joel
My idea for the next Last of Us title wouldn’t be a continuation of where we all left things in 2020’s The Last of Us Part 2, but instead, it would be a prequel title, taking us back to before Ellie was even born. I’m talking about a blast from the past; a trip back to see Joel and Tommy surviving the earlier years of the apocalypse, side by side.
I asked Troy if he’d be on board for something like that, and he gave a very clear answer:
I would be on board with anything.
If Neil decides that he has a place for me, then I’ve learned at this point to listen to him, because he’s really smart.
There’s this beautiful thing about the mystery of what happened between Tommy and Joel, there is all the time, the 20 years, you’ve got such beautiful lore to choose from. I think that makes a great foundation for a story.
But he then suggested it could go another way, potentially heading in a direction nobody has thought of yet.
I’ve also learned to trust Naughty Dog, and maybe there’s a whole other story there that we’re not thinking about.
I’m going to let Neil and Naughty Dog decide, as we look forward, are we looking back? Are we going to revisit something? Or are we going to continue to reinvent. That’s their call.
But whether it is something that you are playing, or with me with a controller in hand, I’m there day one.
For now, The Last of Us stands silent. Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann has made a couple of quips on social media, but as Troy Baker said in our interview, they’re all heads down and working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophecy, the studio’s next big title.
Naughty Dog is unlikely to have The Last of Us Part II be the final game in the series. The universe that the team has assembled over the last 15 or so years is just too rich and bursting with opportunities to let it stagnate. That said, it’s impossible to truly know where it will go next.
What do you want to see from the next Last of Us game? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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