The creator of The Last of Us recently said that if the team at Naughty Dog doesn’t get new answers about where the characters should go when making another entry in a given franchise, it’s better to start working on a different game. The characters in The Last of Us are central to the game, as everything else revolves around their story, actions, and consequences, meaning these comments suggest that if the studio doesn’t figure out what to do with them in The Last of Us Part 3, it might as well focus on another project.

Few games have managed to spark as much conversation within the video game community over the years about their story and characters as The Last of Us. Naughty Dog’s tremendously popular action-adventure game introduced players to the gripping, sad story of Joel and Ellie, immersing them in the complex moral dilemmas they face throughout The Last of Us series. These ethical crossroads grow even more complex in the sequel, where new characters enter the scene, causing Joel and Ellie’s lives to crumble. The story hasn’t been further developed since The Last of Us Part 2, though Naughty Dog has previously addressed the possibility of Part 3.

During a panel at DICE, the creator of The Last of Us, Neil Druckmann, discussed the creation process of his games while addressing some questions that may shed light on a potential The Last of Us Part 3. As explained by Druckmann, he needs to assess where the characters were left in the previous game and ask himself where they can go now, and what still needs to be resolved. He then jokingly said that if they can’t go anywhere, he would just “kill them off.”

Druckmann Jokes He’d ‘Kill Them Off’ If Characters Can’t Move Forward

Druckmann also mentioned that he never thinks about the next game while currently working on one, as developing a title is already “so all-consuming.” The director explained that when he was working on the controversial The Last of Us Part 2, an idea would pop into his mind about what could be done next or where the characters could go. However, he assured fans that he’s never saving ideas for the future, as he likes to maintain the mindset of “what if I never get to do another one?”

The Last of Us Part 2 left the characters in a rather complex situation at the end. Druckmann’s comments invite reflection on whether the characters’ stories can continue in a future The Last of Us game. Even though it’s true that the main conflict between Ellie and Abby was resolved in Part 2, there are still some questions and characters that fans may want to see further developed.