'The Last of Us 2' release date news 2016: 'Uncharted 4' single-player DLC first before sequel

Late last year, "The Last of Us" creative director Neil Druckmann revealed they were already stitching together a story for "The Last of Us 2," but they had to take a break from the sequel to work on "Uncharted 4."

"We were brainstorming ideas for The Last of Us 2 with new characters... with Joel and Ellie; ideas for a sci-fi game; ideas for a fantasy game, and building prototypes for each one of those ideas," Druckmann told PlayStation Magazine via Cinema Blend.

"And just as we were getting close to settling or narrowing that list down, we were asked to work on Uncharted 4," he revealed.

Druckmann hasn't spoken about their plans to work on "The Last of Us 2" again or when they plan to resume. However, it is rumored that Naughty Dog is already looking for artists to work on the sequel.

Also, in an interview from with GamesRadar from earlier this year, Druckmann said that they will work on the single-player downloadable content (DLC) for "Uncharted 4" first before officially turning all its attention to "The Last of Us 2."

"Once we have enough resources, resurrect all those prototypes; see where we're at, see where the teams at, what they're excited for and go from there," Druckmann promised.

"The Last of Us 2" is expected to be released 2018 at the earliest. Since Naughty Dog appears to be already bulking up its team set to work on the game, it won't be long before it starts production.

For now, fans will simply have to wait for official word straight from Naughty Dog.