Naughty Dog’s Vice President Neil Druckmann believes that The Last of Us Part 2 will change fans’ understanding of the original game’s ending. Gamers will get to experience this first hand when the game releases on June 19th.
Many consider The Last of Us to be one of the best video games ever made. This is mostly because of The Last Of Us’s realistic characters and storyline. The storyline is so impactful in fact that HBO has signed on to create a TV show based on The Last of Us. One of the biggest reasons that The Last of Us has resonated gamers around the world though is its emotional focus on main characters Ellie and Joel. The Last of Us Part 2 seems as though it will have a similar focus, but reverse the roles and put the player in the shoes of Ellie rather than Joel.
During an interview that Neil Druckmann did with GQ Magazine, he revealed a lot of new information about The Last of Us Part 2. He stated that he believes that The Last Of Us 2 will alter fan’s perception of the ending of the original game. Druckmann felt that the first game was almost untouchable, but didn’t want to focus on new characters in the game’s universe. In his opinion the only way to continue with the franchise was to continue telling the story of Ellie and Joel, but “take some of the things that people hold sacred and just… dismantle it“.
![The Last Of Us Part 2 Will Change Fan Understanding Of TLOU’s Ending](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Bloodstained-Ellie-in-The-Last-of-Us-2.jpg)
Later in the same interview Druckmann spoke about a personal part of his life that inspired the revenge-fueled storyline of The Last of Us Part 2. When he was younger he saw a video of a lynching that he says filled him with, “intense hatred for the people that committed the lynching and thinking, like, ‘Oh, man if I could hurt these people in some horrible ways then I could.’” He wanted to give the players of The Last of Us Part 2 a similar feeling during the course of the game as they follow Ellie on her quest for revenge.
Judging by the small amount that is currently know about The Last of Us Part 2, it seems as though it is setting up to be a world-shattering experience. It is obvious that Naughty Dog has set up another beautiful world full of realistic characters to engage with and grow attached to. It is anyone’s guess as to what Druckmann means by the second game “dismantling” the first. Hopefully, his comments become much clearer when The Last of Us Part 2 releases next week.
The Last of Us Part 2 will release on June 19th for the PlayStation 4.