A new leak hints at a major location for the highly anticipated third installment of The Last of Us. A former Naughty Dog developer recently revealed unpublished lore about a settlement of people who share Ellie’s immunity to the Cordyceps brain infection.
The Last of Us Part III: A Hidden Community of Immune Survivors
Fans have always assumed Ellie was the only immune person in the franchise. Neither the first two mainline games nor the hit HBO adaptation introduced anyone else with her condition. However, that long-held assumption changed yesterday following a new episode of the Kiwi Talkz podcast.
Host Reece Reilly interviewed Gabriel Betancourt, a former Senior Lighting Artist at Naughty Dog. Betancourt worked at the Santa Monica studio from July 2012 to February 2019. During the interview, he recalled a past conversation with series creator Neil Druckmann. Druckmann explicitly told him about a “whole congregation” of immune people existing within the game’s universe. Consequently, this community remains part of Druckmann’s unpublished lore. If Druckmann has not scrapped the concept, this mysterious settlement could easily serve as a playable location or a crucial story backdrop in The Last of Us Part III.
The Biology Behind the Immunity
Biologically, a hidden community of immune survivors makes perfect sense within the series’ internal logic. As the first game hinted and the HBO TV adaptation confirmed, Ellie gained her immunity through exposure to the Cordyceps fungus in the womb. This pre-birth exposure disrupted the normal progression of the infection.
Statistically, Ellie is likely not the only person to experience this specific event. Therefore, other immune survivors probably exist. Furthermore, they would logically group together to conceal their shared mutation from hostile factions.
Release Timeline & Naughty Dog’s Next Game
Naughty Dog has not officially confirmed The Last of Us Part III. Still, Druckmann hinted at the sequel previously in February 2024 and September 2025.
Currently, the studio focuses heavily on finishing a sci-fi action-adventure game titled Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Rumors suggest this new project targets a mid-2027 launch. As a result, even if developers are actively building the third The Last of Us game right now, players should not expect a release anytime soon. The title will likely launch well into the 2030s during the PlayStation 6 generation.
