The Last of Us co-creator reflects on the game for its 8th anniversary

News
By published

"We had an idea for something no one had done in the story-driven AAA space before"

Close up on the face of Ellie from The Last of Us
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us co-creator Bruce Straley talked about how important the game was for the industry.

Taking to Twitter on the game's 8-year anniversary, Straley tweeted a thread about The Last of Us and how it was special. He tweeted that Naughty Dog had no idea of the impact the game was going to have on the industry and the developer's lives. "we had an idea for something no one had done in the story-driven AAA space before, so we went for it..."

He explained that what is so special about the game is that: "It’s not story [versus] gameplay. It was story + gameplay" where the studio attempted to "marry story and interactivity"

Naughty Dog looked at all of the moments in The Last of Us and asked how the "interactive aspect of our medium could evoke emotions from the player, connections & empathy with the characters, and create more engagement with the situation."

The way the studio did this, Straley explained is by removing story moments from cutscenes, and instead, having them as "playable story moments". He detailed that: "It was an honest effort to try to push our medium and show that if story and gameplay were considered with equal respect, that we could create something that’s never been played before. "

The Last of Us launched back in 2013 on PS3 and followed the story of Joel and Ellie as they wandered the post-apocalyptic lands. Last year, The Last of Us 2 launched for PS4 to critical acclaim, with a recent The Last of Us 2 PS5 patch giving players a chance to revisit at 60fps. While the original game launched so long ago, a PS5 remake is reportedly in development alongside The Last of Us TV show from HBO.

Feeling like jumping into The Last of Us 2 on PS5? Why not have a look at our Prime Day PS5 deals and see what's up for grabs?

The Last of Us 2 tips | The Last of Us 2 map | The Last of Us 2 safe codes and combinations | Last of Us 2 workbench locations | The Last of Us Part 2 training manuals | The Last of Us 2 weapons and gear | The Last of Us 2 Easter eggs | How long is The Last of Us 2 | The Last of Us 2 new game plus | The Last of Us 2 ending | The Last of Us 2 trading cards | The Last of Us 2 coins 

Ben Bayliss
Ben Bayliss

I'm partial to an action adventure RPG such as Skyrim and Cyberpunk 2077. I enjoy the occasional open-world driving games and even those skateboarding titles. But really, if any game I'm playing has a photo mode, I'll likely be found snapping pictures of anything and everything.