There’s no denying the fact that Naughty Dog and Bethesda are sitting on two of the most anticipated games in the industry right now, The Last of Us Part 3 and Elder Scrolls 6. They’re also both sitting on two IPs that share the same problems; excitement and anticipation won’t wait for the development to happen, and fan interest is turning into fan frustration.
Why Did Bethesda Announce Elder Scrolls 6?
Game development has ballooned in recent years, especially with the PS5/Xbox Series X|S generation, with most AAA games taking over five years to release. This makes it all the stranger that Bethesda decided to announce Elder Scrolls 6 in June 2018, which in hindsight, was an incredibly poor choice. Everyone assumed it was coming, we just didn’t know when, and with the announcement, everyone assumed that we’d be seeing it within a year or two. How wrong we were.
Now, The Last of Us Part 3 is in a similar predicament, although nowhere near as long a timescale. Everyone assumed that the third, and presumably final part of Ellie’s saga was already long in development, with the second part being released in 2020. When news dropped of Naughty Dog’s inclusion in The Game Awards 2024, it seemed a fullgone conclusion we’d finally be seeing more of The Last of Us Part 3, but instead, we were greeted with a brand new IP in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

As part of the Grounded documentary, released with The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, Neil Druckmann admitted to having an idea of where to go with the third part, but nothing concrete, which many expected to be bait-and-switch, but as time goes on, it’s looking less likely to have been the case.
One shining light for Naughty Dog is the hugely successful HBO show based on its biggest IP, with it winning awards left and right, and arguably more importantly, drawing fans into the franchise they wouldn’t have had otherwise, and it is certainly going someway to mitigate the impatience of the fanbase as the wait for The Last of Us Part 3 release goes on.
Either way, as Bethesda is focused on Starfield and its DLC, albeit probably (hopefully) developing Elder Scrolls 6 in the background, Naughty Dog is now fully invested in developing and delivering Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, meaning it may be years before we see it drop, a familiar feeling to Bethesda fans, and something Naughty Dog fans will hope is shortlived. Neil Druckmann may be regretting ever mentioning it at this rate.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out how Sony has caused issues for Baldur’s Gate 3, or all the Easter Eggs you missed in the Uncharted film.
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!