A future installment of The Last of Us, potentially Part 3, might feature a community of people who, like Ellie, are immune to the Cordyceps infection. This idea comes from a former Naughty Dog employee who shared that series creator Neil Druckmann developed more backstory and world-building details than made it into the first two games.
Spoilers for The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2 ahead.
For years, fans have questioned whether the Fireflies’ seemingly easy cure for the Cordyceps fungus in The Last of Us Part 1 was realistic. But it’s clear that Ellie really is immune to the deadly brain infection. So far, neither the games nor the HBO series have shown anyone else with the same immunity.
Former Naughty Dog Artist Shares Lore Cut From TLOU Games
A common belief about the world of The Last of Us might be flawed, according to recent comments from Gabriel Betancourt, a former lighting artist at Naughty Dog. In a conversation on the Kiwi Talkz podcast, Betancourt shared that Neil Druckmann once revealed there’s a significant group of people naturally immune to the Cordyceps infection – essentially, a community of individuals like Ellie.
Since this immune settlement wasn’t mentioned in either The Last of Us game, it likely represents backstory creator Neil Druckmann hasn’t revealed yet. This means we might see it in a future game—perhaps as a place players can explore or as part of the overall story. However, this depends on whether Druckmann still considers the idea relevant, as he discussed it with a colleague several years ago and could have changed his mind since then.
Ellie Not Being the Only Immune Person in the World Matches TLOU Lore
The way Ellie’s immunity works suggests others might be immune too within the world of The Last of Us. We know she was exposed to the Cordyceps fungus before birth, and this likely changed how the infection affected her. If being exposed to the fungus in the womb is how immunity develops, it’s reasonable to think Ellie isn’t alone. This would explain a community of immune people fitting into the story, as anyone with this condition would probably need to keep it a secret, just like Ellie.
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The Last of Us Part 3 Is Unlikely To Release Before the 2030s
Okay, so Naughty Dog hasn’t officially announced a third Last of Us game yet, but Neil Druckmann has definitely dropped some hints a couple of times – once in early 2024 and again in September 2025. Right now, though, they’re really focused on finishing their new sci-fi adventure, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which is supposedly coming out around mid-2027. That means even if they’re already working on The Last of Us Part 3, it probably won’t hit shelves until well into the PlayStation 6 era – I’m thinking sometime in the 2030s, honestly.
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2026-04-20 02:09