The Last of Us Part 1 fans have found what appears to be five pieces of concept art in-game, hinting at Naughty Dog's next IP. Indeed, the remake has introduced several new elements, like a new Mortal Kombat 2 Easter egg, but these images stand out as unrelated to anything in the gaming industry thus far.
These five images being related to a new Naughty Dog IP are really the only logical conclusion. After all, Naughty Dog hid references to The Last of Us in Uncharted, so there's precedent for these teases out there.
As seen below, it seems these pieces of concept art show a woman below an upside-down pyramid made of ice, with serpentine images laced throughout; a dragon breathing down on a female warrior; a druid-looking woman standing with a hawk; another woman's face with what appears to be a deer; and a harder-to-see image that seemingly depicts a unicorn. In other words, it seems Naughty Dog could be moving away from its grounded takes with just touches of fantasy and exaggeration in The Last of Us and Uncharted, and going somewhere more natural and fantastical.
Many fans believe that Naughty Dog is making a fantasy game as a result and are referencing rumors that began in 2021 of just that: Naughty Dog making a fantasy game. However, it should be noted that, soon after those rumors began, the concept artist who accidentally started the rumor clarified his fantasy art was in no way tied to a Naughty Dog game. That hasn't stopped lowly rumbles of a fantasy game being in development, but as it stands, there are no major rumors that this is the case. Still, anything's possible since there's no official information about Naughty Dog's next project.
It's known that Naughty Dog is working on a standalone Last of Us Factions multiplayer game, but that's about it. Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann did tease that multiple video game projects were in the works at the company, but what those could be, fantasy or not, is hard to tell right now.
Naughty Dog Rumors Recap
What's interesting, though, is one rumor that was never disproven. While Naughty Dog is confirmed to be working on multiple games and there are no substantial rumors about a fantasy game, there was one rumor that had legs about a Sci-Fi Naughty Dog game. It gained serious traction but petered out over time due to a lack of official information. According to this rumor, Naughty Dog is working on a Sci-Fi game called Stray's Cross, which features an end-of-times plot across space and seemingly time, as locations such as Ancient Egypt and the far future would be explored. It is also said to have a steampunk aesthetic, as well as a male and female protagonist similar, but not exactly like, Joel and Ellie.
It could be that this is somehow Stray's Cross, specifically since it mentions travel to locations like Ancient Egypt. It could be some combination of Sci-Fi and fantasy, where players are able to travel to magical and/or historical places. It could be that, or it could be that Stray's Cross or this rumor is false, or it could be that these are two distinct projects. With so little confirmed, it's impossible to say, but Naughty Dog isn't one to rest on its laurels. The Last of Us Part 1 is out now, but there's definitely more on the horizon.
The Last of Us Part 1 is available now on PS5. A PC version is in development.