Development of The Last of Us Part II

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In capital letters it reads on the first line "THE LAST OF US" with "PART II" underneath on the right side.

Approximately 2,100 people developed

The Last of Us Remastered. Neil Druckmann returned as creative director, co-writing the story with Halley Gross
, while Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau were selected to be co-game directors.

After its announcement in 2016, the game was fervently promoted with press showings, cinematic trailers, and

most expensive video games to develop
.

For the story, Druckmann was inspired by his own experiences growing up in the

Laura Bailey
. The change was inspired by a similar switch in the first game. The writers wanted to portray Abby's vulnerabilities, aware that players would likely initially dislike her but eventually empathize.

The developers pushed the technical capabilities of the PlayStation 4 for Part II, creating larger environments and adding more enemies than previously. The advancement of the game's artificial intelligence granted deeper connections with characters; some gameplay elements were similarly intended to create an emotional response from players. The game was originally planned as an open world game, but became more linear to better serve the narrative. The accessibility options were seen as an extension of those introduced in Uncharted 4, and the developers attended conferences and worked with advocates. Gustavo Santaolalla returned to compose and perform the score; Mac Quayle contributed additional combat music.

History and overview

A man with blond hair and headphones smiling at the camera.
Anthony Newman
A man with brown hair looking below the camera.
Kurt Margenau
A 39-year-old woman with brown hair and a man with a dark beard and a cap smiling at the camera.
Emilia Schatz and Richard Cambier
The leadership team for The Last of Us Part II consisted of Druckmann as creative director, Newman and Margenau as co-game directors, and Schatz and Cambier as co-lead game designers.

Approximately 2,169 developers across 14 studios worked on The Last of Us Part II.[1] Story concepts were first conceived in late 2013, following the development and release of The Last of Us.[2][3][4] Development began in 2014, soon after the release of The Last of Us Remastered.[5] By August 2017, with the release of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the entire 350-person team at Naughty Dog had shifted to develop Part II.[6][7] Neil Druckmann led development as creative director and writer, reprising his role from The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016).[8][9] Bruce Straley, game director on the original game, left Naughty Dog in 2017;[10][11] Druckmann felt that the dynamic on Part II, the first game he co-directed without Straley, was different as a result.[12]

Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau were selected to be co-game directors for Part II,

the development of Uncharted 4.[13]

Druckmann identified that, while Naughty Dog was granted the freedom to create any type of game, they were energized when presented the option to make a sequel to The Last of Us due to the importance of the characters, despite knowing it would divide some fans.

The Last of Us Online, which was canceled in December 2023.[21] Naughty Dog said Part II was the longest game they had made.[22]

For the final months of development, the team shifted to

The development, according to a report by Kotaku's Jason Schreier, included a crunch schedule of 12-hour work days owing to the studio culture; after the game's delay, developers continued under this schedule for the additional months. Schreier suggested that development was affected and slowed due to the enormous turnover of employees following the development of Uncharted 4, with few veterans left on the team. Some of the developers working on the game allegedly hoped that the game would fail to prove that the working conditions they are under are not viable. Sony granted Naughty Dog an additional two weeks of development for bug fixes.[26] Druckmann felt that he failed to find the correct balance for employees on Part II, and said the studio would receive external assistance for future projects.[27]

Story and setting

A 33-year-old woman with blonde hair smiling at the camera.
Halley Gross was approached to collaborate as a writer shortly after completing her work on Westworld.

Druckmann, who was promoted to Vice President of Naughty Dog in 2018,

notecards; a section was scrapped if it did not contribute to the overall narrative momentum, or was "just cool for the sake of being cool".[33] Druckmann found that the additional voice of Gross led to more believable characters, particularly regarding romance and comedy.[7][34] When she assumed more responsibilities about two years into development, Gross was given the title of "narrative lead".[31] Josh Scherr and Ryan James contributed to additional in-game dialogue,[35] with Scherr also writing the descriptions of the collectible cards.[36]

Druckmann felt that his time working on Uncharted 4 for two years allowed the story of Part II to slowly develop.

Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and the Seraphites demonstrates the worst, despite some glimpses of hope within the lives of the former.[41] Druckmann predicted that some players would dislike the game's story, but said that he would prefer passionate hate over apathy.[30] He found that some players considered the characters in the first game to be "sacred" and wanted to ensure that was not the case with the sequel.[42]

The game's themes of revenge and retribution were inspired by Druckmann's own experiences growing up in the West Bank, where violence was a frequent topic.[7] He specifically recalled watching footage of the 2000 Ramallah lynching and how, after hearing the cheering crowds, his mind immediately turned to violent thoughts of revenge against them;[43][44] he later admitted to feeling "gross and guilty" for having these thoughts.[44] He wanted the player to feel a "thirst for revenge" before making them realize the reality of their actions.[7] Once he had settled on a basic concept, the remainder of the narrative outline was complete within weeks.[45] He noted that some members of the team felt reluctant about the game's cynicism, but ultimately he preferred a divisive story than a "mundane" one.[7] He found that stories showing the cost of revenge were more nuanced, and wanted to use the interactivity of the medium to push these feelings to players.[33] He found that people often want to bring someone to justice after witnessing a horrible act, but are unable to do so due to laws and society; in the game's world, where these societal structures no longer exist, he saw an opportunity to explore this concept. When researching for the game, he watched the documentary films Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and its sequels Revelations (2000) and Purgatory (2011), and found it particularly interesting when parents would make comments in interviews about wanting to hurt or kill the West Memphis Three over the murder allegations; he felt that these comments were the "perversion of love", wanting to commit a heinous act to bring justice for those they love.[37] He also referenced Dave Grossman's 1996 book On Killing, which discusses the desensitization of violence for soldiers.[46]

Druckmann noted that the game's other themes include

Dennaton Games allowed the team to use Hotline Miami.[38] Cambier noted that Ellie's violent acts are committed for love or for hate, and were therefore justified by the narrative.[48]

The game underwent several changes throughout production. Initial pre-production concepts included Ellie discovering information about other immune people.[2] Later in development, the game had five days in Seattle instead of three, including an additional side story wherein Ellie traveled to the Seraphite island, which was intended to humanize the Seraphite characters more.[49] An earlier version of the farm sequence featured a playable sequence of Ellie hunting a boar; gameplay, art, and performance was completed, but the sequence was cut for pacing purposes and is instead referenced in Ellie's journal.[50] In an earlier draft, Joel had a girlfriend named Esther, who was originally mentioned as part of a live performance of some scenes from the first game called The Last of Us: One Night Live (2014).[50][51] In the drafts, Esther lived in a town about two hours away from Jackson. In an early version of a flashback, Ellie and Joel traveled to Esther and found that she had been bitten; her death triggered a conversation between Ellie and Joel about a cure. The character was later scrapped as the writers felt she was established too quickly, and was more relevant to Joel's arc than Ellie's. A love letter from Esther remained for some time afterwards, but was eventually cut from the final game.[49]

Druckmann identified that the first game's pacing was like a film, but he wanted Part II to be reflective of a novel, with several quiet moments.[52] Some of the game's dialogue was inspired by the British dark comedy series The End of the F***ing World (2017–2019).[53] The notes scattered around the world were developed out of discussions with the team; as a level was built, the team would discuss the stories behind particular objects in the environment.[54] The team decided to use Seattle as the game's primary location as its hilly nature and varied weather led to more interesting gameplay scenarios.[55] Artists at Naughty Dog traveled to Seattle to analyze the architecture, vegetation, materials, topography, and lighting, and capture photorealistic textures.[30][33] The team experimented with larger open world environments in Part II, as they had previously done with Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy.[3] Druckmann wanted the open world of Seattle to contribute to Ellie feeling lost and frustrated.[33] The final chapter of the game originally took place in Mexico before being moved to Santa Barbara, California.[56]

Character development

Laura Bailey
Johnson and Baker reprise their roles as Ellie and Joel respectively, while Bailey and Woodward were cast as new characters Abby
and Dina.

improvise or suggest ideas while performing; Druckmann said that he would do "20 or 30 takes if need be".[37] Gross noted that a goal of the writers was to "create the most multifaceted characters you've seen in games".[30] She particularly wanted to explore the multifaceted behavior of Ellie, showing her power as well as her insecurities.[61] She wanted the story to show that "there are no heroes or villains".[62] Druckmann found that all three playable characters—Joel in the first game, and Ellie and Abby in Part II—mirror each other as they are all suffering with overcoming trauma and "quietening their demons".[63]

Druckmann recalled the team's excitement to explore Ellie's character further as a protagonist, particularly developing the loss of her innocence, comparing it to the feeling of the writers of

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with Druckmann.[65] Ellie's excitement for astronomy was based on Johnson's own interests, while her obsession with comics is based on Druckmann's childhood.[42]

Lead character artist Ashley Swidowski designed Ellie's eyes to demonstrate a somberness not present in the first game, which used wider eyes to reflect her childlike nature.[44] Ellie's tattoo of a moth was designed by California-based artist Natalie Hall after the team struggled to settle on a design. Hall drew the tattoo on a developer's arm so the team could visualize it.[66] When Swidowski added the moth design to Ellie's guitar, the team created a connection between it and the tattoo.[67] Druckmann felt that moths' obsession with light mirrored Ellie's obsession throughout the game, as well as giving her a reminder of Joel.[66] Ellie's clothing in the game is designed to wrinkle authentically.[30] Ellie's journal was a late addition to development, intended to allow further insight into her mindset.[68]

A man with slicked, dark hair holding a wine glass and wearing a black suit with motion capture dots on the suit and his face. He has his arm around a smiling man with dark hair and a dark beard. Next to him is a blonde woman, also in a motion capture suit with dots.
Baker, Druckmann, and Johnson on the final day of motion capture production

The game's flashback sequences of Ellie and Joel served as a way to contextualize the former's motivations and remind the player the reason behind her journey. The writers ensured that the flashbacks featured some conflict to avoid their relationship remaining idle; the writers felt that avoiding the consequences of Joel's actions at the end of the first game would be a "disservice" to the themes of Part II.[50] Druckmann recalled that the flashbacks were "all over the place, out of order" initially, and that Gross's work on the game included their simplification.[50] The dance scene between Ellie and Dina was originally the game's opening; once the writers realized that its placement would force the opening cutscene to be 25 minutes long, they moved it towards the end of the game as a flashback, where they felt it had a stronger impact.[69] In the final flashback, Ellie and Joel originally hugged until Johnson suggested otherwise.[70]

The change of player character from Ellie to Abby was inspired by the change from Joel to Ellie in the first game, though emphasized in Part II due to its focus on empathy.[50] Druckmann found that players acted differently when forced to play as Ellie in the first game, and wanted to replicate a similar change with Abby in Part II.[42] Druckmann was also inspired by the character switch of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001), which had been suppressed in that game's marketing.[71] The switch to Abby in the game's first chapter was done to demonstrate her personality and vulnerabilities and avoid her portrayal as a typical antagonist.[50] The writers experimented with interspersing Ellie and Abby's gameplay sections, but ultimately settled on longer segments.[72] Druckmann found that Ellie's attempt for revenge was mirrored by Abby, who had already achieved it by avenging her father. Early playtests of the final fight led to confusion regarding Ellie's decision to spare Abby; the editorial team suggested adding a flash of Joel playing guitar, which Druckmann felt was an effective balance between explicit and implicit motivation. For more than half of production, Ellie killed Abby in the game's conclusion,[50] and would return to the farm and be tortured but spared by a relative of somebody Ellie killed. Druckmann felt that this was thematically relevant, but realized that it focused too heavily on the themes rather than characters;[73] after conversations about Yara and Lev, they found that it felt dishonest and that Ellie still had some goodness.[50] Druckmann wanted players to support both characters in the final fight, and realize how futile it is.[74]

Gross felt that Ellie's decision to track down Abby was motivated by her desire to overcome her PTSD more than her desire to kill Abby.

drug addiction, and that Dina left as she felt that the obsession would never end.[76] Gross considered the game's final shot, wherein Ellie leaves behind the guitar that Joel gave her, represented Ellie moving on from his death to a new chapter. Druckmann felt that it illustrated Ellie finally overcoming her ego, though he preferred that the player create their own interpretation.[50]

Several people sitting around a table with scripts, looking at a television with some gameplay footage.
Writers and actors at a read-through before production
A bright white stage with actors in black suits and camera operators.
The game was recorded at a motion capture studio in Playa Vista, Los Angeles.

Druckmann felt that Joel's character arc was complete after the first game.[2] Joel's death was a core part of the game's narrative structure from early in development;[54] Druckmann considered it one of the most difficult to write, rehearse, and shoot.[77] Though it initially caused some internal resistance, the team felt compelled when more of the narrative was built out.[54] An early version of Joel's death scene had him utter "Sarah", his daughter's name, until Baker suggested that he should remain silent.[50] While Sarah's death in the first game intended to evoke sadness, Joel's death aims to elicit anger.[78] Ellie was originally absent during the scene, and was to be informed by Joel's brother Tommy,[79] but Druckmann felt that witnessing the death through Ellie's perspective emphasized the anger of the player.[80] He wanted it to be portrayed as "gross, unceremonious, and humiliating" instead of heroic;[44][74] it was originally more gruesome, but later toned down as the gore was not crucial to the scene.[81] He predicted that it might lead to negative reactions, but felt it was necessary to tell the story; he particularly felt that Naughty Dog's notability in the industry gave it the opportunity to take risks that other developers could not.[82] In an earlier version of the scene, Abby stabbed Joel in the back and twisted the knife to paralyze him; however, as knives are more closely associated with Ellie, the team replaced it with a golf club to demonstrate Abby's blunt force attacks.[83]

When auditioning actors for Abby, Druckmann specifically wanted to avoid casting

working out in preparation for the role.[86] She also prepared by researching people involved in wars and their coping mechanisms.[87] An early iteration of the story had a young Abby witnessing an attack on her group by Joel and Tommy, who were hunters at the time (in the unseen 20 years of the first game), and vowing revenge. As the story and its theme of violence developed, the writers found it more interesting for Abby's father to have been killed by the player in the first game and directly tie into Joel's actions.[88] Druckmann wanted players to hate Abby early in the game, but later empathize with her; he avoided writing her as a "perfect" character, instead prompting empathy through her flaws and redemptive actions.[74]

Some of the game's flashback scenes with Abby initially depicted her joining the WLF, though it was an unconscious decision on her behalf, as the leader of the WLF was a fellow member of her former group and acted as a father figure for her.[89] Abby's goal to kill Joel was fueled by her desire to return to a world before her father's death, but she discovers it impossible. After witnessing Owen's battle for light, she finds her own purpose in protecting Yara and Lev, which Druckmann felt mirrored Joel's redemption arc from the first game.[90] The obstacles she overcomes when gathering medical supplies demonstrates the lengths to which she will go to help the children and redeem herself.[91] Margenau felt that Abby was inspired to abandon her alliances after witnessing Lev's rebellious nature. Abby's plea to the Santa Barbara Rattlers to leave Lev alone is an intentional parallel with Ellie's plea to spare Joel earlier in the game.[54] When Ellie holds Abby underwater in their final fight, Bailey held her breath while recording; she recalled that Johnson let her go when she saw Bailey's lips turning blue.[92] Bailey felt that, in the game's conclusion, Abby understands Ellie's emotions, having dealt with her own father's death.[93]

Gross connected actress Shannon Woodward, with whom she had worked on Westworld, with Druckmann.[94] A fan of Westworld, Druckmann spoke with Woodward for several months before offering her an audition to play Dina.[95] Johnson recalled that the team had narrowed the potential cast to around four actors. After testing with Woodward, Johnson felt that they immediately had chemistry; Woodward was later cast as the character.[65] Woodward felt that some people deal with trauma through comedy, and would often improvise jokes while recording.[94] As a narrative function, Dina represented the community of Jackson, and what Ellie stood to lose from her revenge mission.[96] Her presence allowed Ellie moments of light.[44] Gross had originally written an extended monologue for Ellie to perform to Dina about her fear of ruining their friendship.[97]

Originally in development, Lev was not

deadname being used by the Seraphites demonstrated the difference between their transphobia and Abby and Yara's acceptance.[98] The team hired a religious consultant to ensure the Seraphites' response to Lev's transition was accurate without being unintentionally offensive.[74] Druckmann considered Lev among the most important characters as he represents the same innocence that Ellie did in the first game.[98]

Technical and gameplay development

The development team began planning accessibility options early in development, include a high-contrast mode to assist with visualizing enemies and allies.

The developers pushed the technical capabilities of the PlayStation 4 when creating Part II, adding more enemies and larger environments than in previous games.[3] Druckmann noted that any drops in detail would ruin the game's authenticity, which required consistent optimization of the technology.[33] The team created a new animation technique called "motion mapping" for the characters, which allows for more realistic transitions between movement actions.[3][101] The advancement of the game's artificial intelligence (AI) allowed for deeper connections with characters and the creation of bonds through gameplay.[48] Enemy AI also have more complex understanding of the player's location at any given time.[102] The additional animations required more significant amounts of data and motion capture performances than previously. Horses and dogs were motion captured for movement in the game.[101]

The Last of Us Part II was originally planned as an open world game with

hub worlds in Jackson and Seattle—the player would initially complete missions in the former as Abby before she revealed her true intentions, and later in the former as Ellie while she tracks down Abby—but the game transferred to a more linear style as it better served the narrative.[103] Ellie's agility prompted the addition of new gameplay features, including puzzle and traversal sections, and more advanced dodging and stealth mechanics.[48] Margenau wanted the new gameplay features to immerse the player in the world without feeling "gamey".[104] The introduction of some gameplay elements, such as the tracking dogs and named enemies, was intended to create an emotional response. The team also emphasized the importance of Ellie's weapons to form a realistic attachment from the player, though Druckmann noted that the narrative tension was more important than the gameplay realism in some instances, such as the amount of enemies that Ellie kills.[3] The glass-breaking mechanic was seen as a "big win" for development due to its technical difficulty and versatility for level design.[105] Early prototypes included a companion dog for Ellie, who could fit under fences and fetch items.[106]

Some scenes in the game, such as Owen and Mel's death from Ellie's perspective, were originally depicted as gameplay but later converted to non-interactive cutscenes to emphasize their impact.

mix drinks, chase children, and interact with Cat, Ellie's ex-girlfriend, but the sequence was eventually cut for narrative purposes.[49] Ellie and Dina's kiss was one of the most demanding scenes to animate. It was recorded in two ways: without the face camera helmets so the actors could kiss, and kissing the air with the helmets so the animators had a reference for the facial movement. Lead cinematic animator Eric Baldwin said that the minute details that had to be implemented in the graphics software Autodesk Maya included dynamic hair strands and cheek flushness.[69]

In Part II, Naughty Dog wanted to increase the

text-to-speech required the most resources. The designers ensured that the game's tone and themes remained consistent with the accessibility options enabled.[108] Schatz found the visual options particularly challenging due to the spectrum of visual impairments.[110] When a developer suggested an accessibility option to censor the violence against dogs, Druckmann refused as it would impact the narrative too heavily. He felt that including an option to censor gore would lessen the discomfort intended by the story.[111] Members of the team worked extra hours to ensure the addition of the accessibility options, despite Druckmann instructing them otherwise.[112]

Music production

A man with dark gray hair talking into a microphone, looking beneath the camera
A man with short brown hair smiling to the left of the camera
Gustavo Santaolalla (left) returned to compose the score for The Last of Us Part II, while Mac Quayle (right) provided additional combat music.

ronroco, his signature instrument used in the first game's main theme, as he felt it enhanced Ellie's qualities through feminine sounds. Part II's main theme uses a banjo, which Santaolalla felt reflected the game's American setting and origin; he was initially hesitant in using it, but the developers encouraged him to do so.[116] The music during Joel's death scene intended to build dread but feel inevitable, as opposed to the surprise and sadness invoked during Sarah's death in the first game.[77] Druckmann wanted to achieve moments in which the music conveys narrative elements: after Abby collects the medicine to save Yara, the music symbolizes her redemption; when she protects Lev in the game's conclusion, the music represents their relationship.[115]

Mac Quayle contributed to the game's combat music.[7] He was hired on the project in early 2018; the developers were familiar with his previous work on the television series Mr. Robot. Largely unfamiliar with gaming, Quayle immediately bought a PlayStation 4 and a copy of The Last of Us to familiarise himself with the series before meeting to discuss the second game. He began writing ideas for the game in May 2018, and delivered his final music in January 2020; he found the deadlines much more relaxed compared to film and television projects. The team discussed potential collaborations between Santaolalla and Quayle, including sharing stems and sessions, though ultimately their collaborations were minimal; they performed a three-day recording session in the PlayStation offices in October 2018, where they experimented with different sounds and instruments to create "grooves and textures" that were later used in the game.[117] Quayle attributed the similarities between their work to the developers "really knowing what they wanted".[117] Quayle's music aimed to represent the "relentless tension" of the gameplay sequences, consistently moving the action forward and heightening the suspense and anxiety.[117] The developers wanted to avoid music that sounded "too electronic or too organic and natural".[117] Quayle was provided with videos of early gameplay captures for inspiration, instead of composing directly to scenes. He used Logic Pro for his work, which he used to heavily manipulate the several live acoustic instruments. His favorite instruments on the project were the bass guitar and cello; for the latter, he brought in a professional cellist.[117]

The in-game covers became a significant part of the characters and their development, namely Ellie with her guitar. Druckmann found that Ellie's guitar-playing allowed her access to memories and emotions; when she loses her fingers in the game's conclusion, it serves to sever ties to her memories and relationships.

Future Days" by Pearl Jam acts as a theme between Ellie and Joel throughout the game. The song was previously featured as part of One Night Live in an unbroadcast epilogue wherein Joel plays the song to Ellie.[36] According to Druckmann, Sony was doubtful that Naughty Dog would receive permission to use the song; the band's manager agreed after hearing the story pitch, receiving a PlayStation 4 and a copy of the original game, and an advanced screening of a trailer.[7] Although the song's album Lightning Bolt was released two weeks after the onset of the in-game outbreak in September 2013, Druckmann recalled seeing a live performance of the song several months earlier in July, and felt that its inclusion was realistic.[115]

Shawn James was contacted by Sony in mid-2014 for permission to create a cover of his song "Through the Valley" for an upcoming game; James was unaware of how it would be used until he watched the game's first trailer at the PlayStation Experience in December 2016. Druckmann had specifically enjoyed the song and felt that it aligned with the game's darkness and emotion.[118] The song went viral after the trailer's release, charting atop the Spotify viral charts in the United Kingdom.[119] Naughty Dog was able to secure permission to use "Take On Me" by A-ha in one of the game's scenes due to Gross's friendship with Lauren Savoy, the wife of A-ha guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy. Druckmann found that the song's lyrics addressed the game's themes in a lighthearted manner.[115] He felt that the scene featuring the song being optional made it feel more important to the player, though the team considered making it unmissable instead.[120] After Johnson worked with vocal coach Melissa Reese, the team felt that her singing was too refined, and asked her to consciously sing worse.[115]

Sound design

A sound designer at Naughty Dog created a system that tracks the player character's level of exertion and plays matching respiratory audio effects.

palatal clicking noise into a padded bucket via a tube, which he recorded with an ultrasonic microphone. He added this atop a slowed-down palatal sound to create the "Shambler Bark".[121] Voice actors Raul Ceballos and Steve Blum contributed to the Shambler sounds, the former to screams and the latter to grunts. The explosion sounds were created by squeezing grapefruit and expanding a life jacket; for additional texture, he filled a bellows with oatmeal and blew it. The audio of the resulting acid cloud was achieved by dripping water on a pilot light and melting ice over a hot pan.[121]

The whistling of the Seraphites was a long-discussed element of the game; production began in early 2018 in preparation for an upcoming demonstration. The team originally referenced whistled languages such as Sfryria and Silbo Gomero but found that they were more sophisticated than necessary. They also worked with a professional whistler but found the result too "birdlike".[121] Dialogue supervisor Maged Khalil and UI artist Maria Capel recorded around an hour of sample whistles, which dialogue coordinator Grayson Stone organized into 14 groups dependent on duration, trill, intensity, and tone. After some iteration, the team decided on 26 categories, each representing lines the Seraphites use to communicate. Actors Stevie Mack and Lisa Marie provided the final whistles in three styles, each in a different level of quality. The team wanted the subtitles to represent the nuance of the whistles without giving away their exact meaning, and consulted accessibility specialist Morgan Baker to create them. The team discussed adding additional communication methods, such as knocking on trees or rattling, but it would have required additional animation, art, and sound design work.[121]

Release

The Last of Us Part II was announced at the PlayStation Experience event on December 3, 2016.

frames per second on PlayStation 5.[131]

Matthew Gallant served as game director on The Last of Us Part II Remastered.[132]

In November 2023, following a

SteelBook case, trading cards, patch, and pins, was made available in some regions.[133] According to Video Games Chronicle's Jordan Middler, Remastered's development was used to familiarize newly-hired employees with the process, while Druckmann led a team on full production on a new game.[134]

Druckmann, Margenau, and Newman mentored Remastered's game director Matthew Gallant through development.[132] Gallant felt the release of Remastered was justified by the amount of additional content.[135] The team was inspired to develop the roguelike mode, No Return, after exploring all other additions,[132] and took inspiration from other roguelike games,[136] which Gallant felt had a "renaissance" in the preceding five years.[137] While the game's combat is generally developed to service the story, the team wanted a mode to focus on combat to demonstrate its systems. They considered that No Return could trivialize the narrative's violence, but felt it was separate enough to justify inclusion and should only be played after the story.[132] Gallant found the omission of checkpoints in the No Return added additional tension not present in the story. The mode's character and weapon options were prompted by different combat styles, such as Lev and his bow for stealth players.[136]

Promotion

Marketing for the game on a train in Santa Monica, California

The game was extensively marketed through video trailers. The first trailer was released alongside the game's announcement, showcasing the return of Ellie and Joel, and featured a cover of Shawn James's "Through the Valley" by Johnson.[39] The trailer was named the Best Cinematic of 2016 by Behind the Cinematic.[138] At PlayStation Experience in December 2016, Game Informer's Andy McNamara moderated a panel with Druckmann, Johnson, and Baker.[139] The second trailer was released in October 2017 as a part of Paris Games Week. It revealed Abby, Yara, and Lev.[140][141] Druckmann stated that the characters "are integral to [Ellie and Joel's] next journey".[142] While the trailer was well-received,[141] it drew some criticism for its violence.[143] IGN's Max Scoville felt that the trailer was "a little out of touch" for introducing characters entirely through violence and without context.[144] Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe president Jim Ryan defended the trailer, saying the game is made by and for adults.[145] Druckmann explained: "We're making a game about the cycle of violence and we're making a statement about violent actions and the impact they have ... [the idea] was for the player to feel repulsed by some of the violence they are committing themselves."[146]

At PlayStation Experience in December 2017, Hannah Hart moderated a panel with Druckmann, Gross, Johnson, Baker, Bailey, Alexander, and Grace; Johnson and Baker opened the panel with a performance of "The Wayfaring Stranger".[147] The game was featured at Sony's E3 event in June 2018, revealing Dina and Jesse. The kiss between Ellie and Dina in the presentation was praised for appearing passionate and believable, a feat frequently considered difficult to animate.[148][149] Critics also praised the improved graphics, enemy artificial intelligence, and combat.[150] Druckmann recalled that the team rehearsed and choreographed the gameplay within the presentation, particularly due to the openness of the level.[37] E3 Coliseum hosted a panel for the game in, moderated by IGN's Lucy O'Brien and featuring Druckmann, Newman, Margenau, Johnson, and Woodward.[151]

Another trailer was featured in Sony's State of Play presentation in September 2019,

vinyl record featuring some music from the game.[154]

The game's story trailer was released on May 6.[155] From May 13 to June 3, Naughty Dog released a series of videos about the development of Part II, discussing the narrative, gameplay, and world.[156] The game was featured in its own standalone State of Play presentation on May 27, revealing an extended gameplay demonstration.[157] An animated commercial was released on June 3, featuring Ellie singing an acoustic cover of "True Faith", a song by New Order.[158] The cover is specifically inspired by the version by Lotte Kestner, though she was not credited; when Kestner reached out to Naughty Dog, Druckmann issued an apology and ensured proper credit.[159] The final pre-launch trailer was released on June 10.[160] Druckmann claimed that Sony's marketing department wanted less secrecy surrounding the narrative, but he was unwilling to reveal twists to players.[43] Naughty Dog replaced and altered characters in the trailers to conceal story events; Druckmann cited the marketing of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, which concealed its protagonist in trailers, as an influence.[161] For the game's launch, PlayStation Australia posted a cover of "Through the Valley" by Tash Sultana.[162]

The game received several pieces of

Dark Horse Direct.[170] In August 2022, Naughty Dog announced a partnership with Chivas Brothers to create a whisky based on The Last of Us Part II called Moth & Wolf (resembling Ellie's tattoo and Abby's faction, respectively). A 2013 vintage—representative of the first game's release—the whisky, which sits at 40 percent alcohol by volume, carries notes of vanilla to represent the safety of Jackson, and smoke and malt to imitate the toughness of Seattle. Preorders opened in October.[171][172]

Notes

  1. ^ Formerly known as Outbreak Day, but changed in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[167]

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