The Last of Us showrunners were just as "nervous" as you about adapting the game for TV

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"There is an intimacy that [fans] have with these characters"

The Last of Us showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have explained how they feel a similar nervousness to fans when adapting the game for TV.

"They've been those characters," Druckmann said.

"Also, the replay factor on those games is extraordinarily high," added Mazin. "So they have not just experienced it once or twice but many multiple times, and so there is an intimacy that they have with these characters. That's why I think that a lot of fans were nervous about the game being adapted at all, and I understand that. I get nervous."

"We had the same nervousness," Druckmann said.

Fortunately, Mazin said it's "a good nervousness" and argued that "it's good to be nervous. It means you care."

HBO's The Last of Us has been universally praised for pretty much all of its aspects, not least of which its ability to stay strictly faithful to the game while expanding certain elements, like Bill and Frank's tragic love story in episode 3 and Ellie's friendship with Riley in episode 7.

For more on the latest episode, here's our breakdown of The Last of Us episode 7 and the biggest changes from the game.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.