Naughty Dog Has Been Working on a Secret Game for Three Years—And It’s Not The Last of Us III

It looks like Naughty Dog has been quietly cooking up something new for the past three years. And no, it’s not The Last of Us Part III. This mystery project is being led by Uncharted: The Lost Legacy director Shaun Escayg, adding even more intrigue to the mix.

The info comes from reliable insider DanielRPK, who dropped the details on his Patreon. According to The Game Post, which reported on the paywalled content, this unannounced title has been in active development since around 2022 and is completely separate from Naughty Dog’s recently revealed sci-fi game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

This news emerged shortly after Naughty Dog's creative director Neil Druckmann made headlines with comments suggesting ‘don’t bet on there being more Last of Us’—though he later clarified that nothing is off the table.

Could This Be a New Uncharted?

With Escayg in the director’s chair, it’s easy to see why fans are wondering if this could be a new Uncharted game. He was a key creative force behind The Lost Legacy before briefly leaving Naughty Dog to direct Marvel’s Avengers at Crystal Dynamics. When he returned to the studio in April 2021, that timing lined up perfectly with the start of this secret project.

The last major Uncharted release was Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End in 2016, followed by The Lost Legacy in 2017. Since then, fans have been hoping for another installment—maybe even one starring Cassie Drake, Nathan Drake’s daughter, who made a brief but memorable appearance at the end of Uncharted 4.

Fun fact: Kaitlyn Dever, the actress who played Cassie, is now set to portray Abby in The Last of Us Season 2 on HBO. Could she return for an Uncharted sequel too? According to PlayStation leaker @0AOXO, she indeed revealed her collaboration with Naughty Dog earlier this month for an "announced project."

Naughty Dog’s Busy Lineup

While Naughty Dog hasn’t officially announced this project, it’s clear the studio has a lot on its plate.

Beyond their announced game Intergalactic, persistent rumors suggest The Last of Us Part III might still be in the works despite Druckmann's cautious comments.

For now, fans will have to wait for an official announcement from Naughty Dog or Sony regarding this mysterious project. With three years of development already invested, it's possible we might learn more about it sooner rather than later.