On September 26 PT, Naughty Dog released a free PS5 animated background to celebrate 'The Last of Us Day 2026', an annual event honoring its flagship franchise, 'The Last of Us'.
In the world of 'The Last of Us', September 26 is the date when the massive infection event, known as the "Outbreak," occurred. To mark the occasion each year, developer Naughty Dog has unveiled new merchandise, hosted game sales, and released free PlayStation backgrounds and themes. The new PS5 animated background was also provided to celebrate this day.
However, the game-related news that everyone had been waiting for was not revealed. Via its official X account, Naughty Dog stated, "The celebration will take place on Monday, September 28," adding, "Look forward to various updates, including partnership announcements, cool collaborations, and digital surprises." They also teased additional details alongside an upcoming 'No Return' charity stream on Twitch.
Meanwhile, Neil Druckmann, head of Naughty Dog and main director of its major series, stated in an interview with The Washington Post on September 4, "We're not done with 'The Last of Us.' We're working on several very exciting projects that we want to talk about when the time is right." This has drawn attention to the possibility of a future 'The Last of Us Part 3' (working title).
However, it is not yet known when those projects will be revealed. Naughty Dog is currently developing a new IP, 'Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet' (hereinafter 'Intergalactic'). First revealed through a trailer in December 2024, 'Intergalactic' currently has limited public information available, such as its cassette-futurism-based sci-fi setting, main protagonist, and action-adventure genre.
With much information still undisclosed, and considering the influence of 'The Last of Us', observers expect that in-depth news about the next 'The Last of Us' project will likely emerge only after the release of 'Intergalactic'.
