The Last of Us Ending with Part 2 Would Be Bold, But Not Dissatisfying

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home March 7, 2025 65 Views 6 Min Read
The Last of Us Ending with Part 2 Would Be Bold, But Not Dissatisfying



Ever since The Last of Us launched in 2013, Naughty Dog has been in a fascinating position where it has decided to end its games without so much finality as to suggest there couldn’t be another sequel at some point in the future. Similarly, that door isn’t left completely open, either, with Uncharted and The Last of Us infamously concluding with moments where the story could rightfully be bookended if Naughty Dog never wanted to develop another installment and keep its franchises precious.

Uncharted proved that its franchise could go on without Nathan Drake, for example, and yet it’ll seem like the book’s been firmly shut on Naughty Dog’s fortune-hunting IP until something concrete is announced. The Last of Us, too, ended on a note that was not only terrific to follow up on in a sequel but also perfectly capable of ending the IP. It’s feasible that Joel and Ellie could’ve lived happily ever after with Joel’s lie, just like it’s feasible that Part 2’s ending would be sufficient closure. Now, with Neil Druckmann’s latest remark on a possible Part 3, it’s more possible than ever that Part 2 is where The Last of Us might end.

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Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann recently walked back his tease of “probably one more chapter to this story” for The Last of Us a bit by ambiguously stating that Part 1 and Part 2 “could be it” for the series. This covers bases in case Naughty Dog truly does say no to a Part 3, but it could realistically go either way given the success of The Last of Us and Naughty Dog’s current endeavor with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, let alone anything else that may be cooking being closed doors.

The fact that Druckmann previously alluded to a Part 3 and hasn’t outright said that isn’t moving forward suggests it’s on the table regardless, though admitting to the possibility of a Part 3 not happening insinuates that its fate is in jeopardy.

This would obviously be disappointing for anyone who was hoping for more Last of Us content beyond multiple remasters or who hoped to experience more of Ellie or Abby’s stories, especially since Abby, Lev, and the Fireflies could be an interesting thread to unravel. Likewise, what happens to Ellie now that she’s alone is compelling as it’s unpredictable whether she’d try to go back to Jackson and rekindle her relationship with Dina, who appears content to leave Ellie after Ellie chose vengeance over her.

These are questions that may never be answered if there isn’t a Part 3 in The Last of Us’ future, but where Part 2 ends is a fitting enough conclusion to the overarching narrative anyhow. It would’ve been a shame if Part 2 never released and players never got to learn about Abby, for instance, but ending with Part 1 would’ve kept Joel alive and players blissfully ignorant.

A Part 3 could absolutely have the same heart-wrenching devastation, and ending on Part 2 might mitigate some of that regardless of whether or not it’d be cutting its story short. Therefore, while a Part 3 could be phenomenal, the story wouldn’t be ending on an unsatisfying or unresolved cliffhanger if The Last of Us never had a threequel because Part 2’s ending, not unlike Part 1’s, is left purposefully open-ended.

It’s fortunate enough that players ever received a Part 2 after seven years, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that players could have to wait a comparably long time for a Part 3. If Naughty Dog has officially and definitively told the Last of Us story it wants to tell, however, that’ll hopefully be made known sooner rather than later to temper expectations.

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