All Articles: The Last of Us Part II

Sony’s E3 2018 Showcase will feature previews of Death Stranding, Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us Part II

Posted on May 11, 2018 by John Scalzo

It looks like Sony wants to do things a bit different at this year’s E3 Expo. Over on the PlayStation Blog, the consolemaker has made “a rare break from tradition” and pre-announced the games that will take center stage at their E3 Showcase.

Drumroll, please.

Sony’s E3 Showcase will take place on June 11 at 6:00 PM (Pacific Time), and a team from Sony Worldwide Studios will provide “exclusive” previews of Kojima Productions’s Death Stranding, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima, Insomniac’s Spider-Man, and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II. A smattering of additional announcements from “third-party publishers and independent developers” will round out the show.

For fans watching at home, Sony’s E3 Showcase will be livestreamed in its entirety on Playstation.com, Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook.

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The Last of Us Part II’s new trailer is absolutely brutal

Posted on October 30, 2017 by John Scalzo

Sony gave us another at The Last of Us Part II during their Paris Games Week presentation today, and it is just absolutely brutal. Multiple people are killed by a hammer, a woman is strung up from a tree with a noose, a poor guy gets an arrow through the throat… and that’s before the zombies show up.

Thankfully, Joel and Ellie are no where to be seen. And that’s by design. According to a post by Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann on the PlayStation Blog, this trailer is meant to introduce fans to some of the new characters in The Last of Us Part II:

At its core, The Last of Us is still very much about Ellie and Joel, but for this reveal, we wanted to showcase several new characters that are integral to their next journey. We’re sure you have many questions after watching this scene. We’re also pretty sure that we’re going to see all sorts of theories about whom these characters are, where and when this scene takes place, and how all of this fits into Ellie and Joel’s next story. For now we’re keeping mum, but we’re excited to see what y’all make of this piece of the puzzle.

The Last of Us Part II still doesn’t have a release date, but Druckmann had more to say in a new video interview. You can find it after the break. (more…)

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Westworld actress Shannon Woodward joins The Last of Us Part II

Posted on April 10, 2017 by John Scalzo

It’s been four long months since we first heard about The Last of Us Part II, and Naughty Dog has kept fans in the dark ever since. So naturally, those same fans are going to leap on any scrap of new information about The Last of Us Part II… like this tweet from actress Shannon Woodward about her recent motion capture work for the game:

Woodward is best known for her role in Westworld as Elsie Hughes, one of the programmers employed by the futuristic theme park. Her role in The Last of Us Part II is currently unknown, but it looks like she got a chance to chat with Creative Director Neil Druckmann while filming her part.

The Last of Us Part II is in development exclusively for the PS4, though an official release date has yet to be announced.

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Ellie and Joel return in The Last of Us Part II at PlayStation Experience 2016

Posted on December 3, 2016 by John Scalzo

You didn’t think Naughty Dog was coming to the 2016 PlayStation Experience to just unveil a co-op expansion for Uncharted 4 did you? The powerhouse developer also wanted to give us a taste of their next game… The Last of Us Part II.

In development exclusively for the PS4, The Last of Us Part II takes place several years after the first game, and first trailer shows an older, and heavily scarred, Ellie (again played by Ashley Johnson) strumming a guitar while surrounded by bodies. Joel (once again voiced by Troy Baker) also makes an appearance.

As of right now, The Last of Us Part II doesn’t have a release date.

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Pre-production on The Last of Us 2 will begin after release of Uncharted 4 DLC

Posted on April 4, 2016 by John Scalzo

thelastofus-logoIt’s no secret that Naughty Dog wants to make a sequel to The Last of Us, but development on The Last of Us 2 was put on the back burner as the studio completed their next adventure with Nathan Drake. But now that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is finished, Naughty Dog is ready to start pre-production work on a sequel to Joel and Ellie’s cross-country trek. But first, the team will have to complete work on Uncharted 4’s single-player downloadable content.

Naughty Dog’s Creative Director, Neil Druckmann, told GamesRadar about the studio’s current timetable earlier today:

“Before my partner, Bruce [Straley] and I, my directing partner, came on to Uncharted 4 we were working on prototypes for different ideas within The Last of Us universe,” says Druckmann. He also teases that “without going into specific genres [there were] ideas outside the The Last of Us,” as well.

However, according to Druckmann, “all those things were left on hold when we had to come onto Uncharted 4 to direct the project.” Which obviously leaves the question: when will he and Bruce get back to thinking about clickers? “Our next focus is the single player [Uncharted 4] DLC and then, 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.”

Because of the nature of prototypes, it’s important to remember that Druckmann and his team might never give the green light to The Last of Us 2. And as he eludes to above, the developer could move on to a brand new intellectual property after the completion of Uncharted 4’s DLC. Whatever happens, I’m sure we’re all eager to find out what Naughty Dog is up to next.

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Naughty Dog considering The Last of Us 2 or a new IP

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Nicole Kline

TheLastofUsThere’s always something going on at Naughty Dog. Neil Druckmann, the writer and creative director of The Last of Us, told Eurogamer that the Dogs are considering a sequel to that game or creating a new property as their next project.

“We just wrapped up Left Behind, and Bruce Straley, the game director, and I have been doing this for over four years now. So it’s just time for a break, and to recharge the batteries… We have started brainstorming some stuff. To be honest, some of them are sequel ideas, and some of them are brand new IP – we’ve spent the last few weeks brainstorming new IP. So we have to get some good steps and see… It’s kind of like how we approached Left Behind. Can we tell people a story that’s really worth telling, and that’s not repeating itself? And if we can’t, where can we get inspired – what is something that’s really going to challenge us, and push storytelling in this medium forward?”

The Last of Us: Left Behind, which comes out next week, is the game’s first – and the only – single-player DLC. This prequel will give us more insight into Ellie’s past, focusing on a friendship she had before she met Joel.

I can’t imagine a sequel to The Last of Us, but there have been plenty of times I couldn’t imagine a sequel and I was blown away (Dead Space 2, anyone?). I’m looking forward to seeing what the Dogs have planned for us.

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