In an AMA (ask me anything) on Reddit, Niel Druckman, creative director at Naughty Dog behind the team that created The Last of Us said the chance of a The Last of Us sequel was at 50/50.

The anonymity of the Internet means anything and everything can show up in a Reddit AMA, but the question was posed by a self-confessed, long-time fan thusly: “…how good are the chances of us entering the world of The Last of Us again?”

Druckman’s response was concise and simple. “If you’re asking about a sequel…right now I’d say it’s 50/50.”

While the almost non answer of “50/50” might not seem like much, such indecision is actually quite amazing given the current state of the video game industry. Year after year we see popular games with larger and larger numbers in their titles, and this is a trend that doesn’t look like it wants to stop. To AAA developers, the franchise is key.

Senior Vice President Toney Key from Ubisoft even went so far as to say, “We won’t even start [a game] if we don’t think we can build a franchise out of it” back in mid 2013 when Watchdogs was first being discussed.

The power of the franchise, the power of money, outweighs the power of the narrative. Gears of War 3 put a definitive end to the COG storyline, but that didn’t stop the franchise. People Can Fly put out Gears of War: Judgment, and Microsoft recently purchased the property from Epic to continue it in their own fashion.

The Last of Us is Naughty Dog’s final game on the PlayStation 3, a strong, emotional narrative that gave the console a mighty swan song with 42 perfect scores. As of now, there’s a 50/50 chance it will stay that way.

Sources:

Reddit
Metacritic
IGN

My Opinion

The idea of a massive success standing by itself, alone and with its own glowing merits, is absolutely refreshing in an industry that has grown cynical and desperate for massive hits. The Last of Us 2 would absolutely sell, but such a game isn’t needed. The Last of Us told a beautiful story and ended exactly where it wanted to. There’s no need for another one.

Druckman’s response of “50/50” might not seem like much, but it means everything when we have seven (soon to be eight) Mario Kart games, ten console Call of Duty games, 14 Madden games, and so many more examples that I grow weary just thinking of such a list.