The Last of Us is an acclaimed video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog and published by PlayStation Studios. The series debuted on the PlayStation 3 in 2013, and ten years later, in 2023, the game would be adapted into an HBO live-action series, created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.
Between the release of the first game and the HBO series, Naughty Dog released a second game in the series, namely The Last of Us Part II. This controversial second game will be adapted into future seasons of the HBO series, which covered the entire first game in the first season. Read more to learn about Part II.
The Last of Us Part II made the jump to the PlayStation 4
The Last of Us Part II released in 2020 on the PlayStation 4, during the tail-end of that console’s life-cycle. The first game’s ending pretty conclusively ended the original storyline without any major cliffhangers, sparking audience curiosity about what the sequel would be like.
Early trailer hinted at the game being a revenge story involving Ellie, the co-lead from the first game. Naughty Dog deliberately kept mum on the specifics of the plot, but all the secrecy surrounding their marketing would amount to naught when several gameplay videos and key plot information was leaked to the internet on April 2020. These leaks proved immensely controversial among the fandom, and lead to the harassment of both game developers and voice actors involved in the project.
Director Neil Druckmann admitted that he’d always meant for the story to be divisive, but was upset at the ripple effects and harassment caused by the leaks. Controversially, The Last of Us Part II killed of its male lead, Joel Miller, in the opening hours of the game, as a result of his actions during the last game’s ending. It’s his murder that Ellie sets out to avenge.
Another leaked detail that garnered controversy was the decision to split the lead role between Ellie, as well as Abby, who was none other than Joel’s murderer. The game’s decision to make players experience both sides of the conflict generated considerable backlash.
Other controversies courted by The Last of Us Part II involved the working environment at Naughty Dog, which came under scrutiny after investigative journalist Jason Schrier published an article on Kotaku reporting on the extensive working hours and crunch conditions faced by the team.
Even after the game’s release, the controversy didn’t fully die down, and the game has a divisive reputation to this day, with its storytelling merits still hotly debated. Perhaps in a nod to how much more complicated this game’s storyline was, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have confirmed that the HBO adaptation will take multiple seasons to fully adapt Part II’s storyline, a stark departure from their approach during season 1. The casting for the show already shows a notable departure from the games, with Abby being played by Kaitlyn Dever, who lacks the muscular stature of her character’s video game counterpart.
The Last of Us season 2 is set to premiere in April 2025.
