Following the big E3 game conference, fans were disappointed at the lack of news about The Last Of Us‘ rumored sequel.
The Last of Us is, in this writer’s humble opinion, one of the greatest games ever made.
The post-apocalyptic survival game (originally released on PS3 in 2013, remastered for PS4 last year) not only has stunning visuals and engaging gameplay, but also tells a heart-wrenching, relatable story.
Its lead characters Ellie (Ashley Johnson) and Joel (Troy Baker) are almost addictive, to the point where you’ll want to replay the entire game just to see if you can spot any nuances you may have missed while you were busy smashing zombies’ heads in (not zombies, sorry. Infected. We just had to sneak that word in somewhere).
Certainly, Naughty Dog is more than aware of how much their fans want a sequel. But between the Uncharted series and the Last of Us movie currently in development, it might not only be a question of whether the game warrants a sequel, but whether there’s even time to make it!
Some might argue that The Last of Us deserves to exist as a standalone, unmarred masterpiece, and that Ellie and Joel’s story is done.
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However, considering the relatively open ending of the game, and the fact that Naughty Dog already released one lengthy DLC set in the same universe (Left Behind, a prequel featuring Ellie and her best friend Riley), not making a sequel seems a little ridiculous.
But E3, the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, has come and gone, and Sony did not announce The Last of Us 2. Instead, Naughty Dog unveiled an exciting new demo for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, the final installment in the Nathan Drake series.
That doesn’t mean The Last of Us 2 is dead in the water, though. Game director Neil Druckmann has previously put the odds of a sequel at 50/50, saying that the main hold-up was Naughty Dog’s limited resources.
With Uncharted wrapping up, some of those resources will now be made available. And if the lead voice actors are able to return, we don’t see how Druckmann would be able to resist the temptation (plus, Sony is probably very keen to repeat the insane success of the first installment).
Also boosting the odds is Naughty Dog’s claim earlier this year that any kind of decision about The Last Of Us‘ future was put “on ice” until they’d wrapped Uncharted 4.
They’re brainstorming sequels. They’re considering it. Surely, it’s only a matter of time?