Game developer Naughty Dog has yet to make any confirmation about the development of the action-survival horror video game “The Last of Us 2” but reports, rumors, and speculations about it have been making the rounds on the internet for quite some time now, indicating how highly-anticipated the game is.
Two of the more interesting rumors about “The Last of Us 2” are its possible release date and its likely plotline. Reports have it that the game could possibly come out in the gaming consoles in 2018 while there are also sporadic speculations that it could be released as early as next year.
According to Movie News Guide, “The Last of Us 2” would explore the past of Joel and Ellie, who were the main protagonists in the first game.
It could be recalled that back in “The Last of Us 2,” Joel was tasked with escorting a young girl named Ellie who was immune from the infection. He makes use of many weapons in the game and relies on his wit to overcome obstacles and enemies.
A morally ambiguous ending
“The Last of Us” also had a rather morally ambiguous ending, which means that the sequel might see that one of the two main characters has to go while the other one has to pull the trigger on the other.
In “The Last of Us,” Ellie willingly offered herself to undergo surgery in order to help the renegade Fireflies find a cure for the disease that has plagued the world since Ellie is immune from the virus. But if she goes under the knife, she may die in the process.
Joel did not want Ellie to proceed with her plan because he believes that there is still an option. So he killed everyone at Fireflies then lied to Ellie when she woke up.
He said that there are others like her and a cure will most likely be found. The credits of the video game followed shortly and gamers really felt that they were given a cliffhanger, similar to watching a season finale of a TV series.
According to critics, “The Last of Us 2” may see Ellie getting the right motivation to kill Joel, which is why there are also rumors that Joel shall no longer be part of the sequel.
Ellie shall be mad with Joel for lying to her after she woke up from the supposed operation. Joel’s opposition to the idea heightened when he learned from Fireflies leader Marlene that Ellie could die from it.
The weight of violence in the game
While Druckmann did not confirm the death of Joel, he did say that the violence in the game had weight with that of the real world.
“The Last of Us” showed to gamers the various repercussions of resorting to such actions.
Druckmann made the statement while being interviewed by the Southern California Public Radio where he also said that the way he creates the narrative for Naughty Dog video games is quite different from how movie productions go.
The game director says that his method works best in defining the character as they are and that the voice actors of the game can very well attest to it.
There were rumors before that saying that “The Last of Us 2” was already in the works especially in light of the hint by voice actor Nolan North during a Q&A portion at MetroCon a few months ago.
Before the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2016, fans were somehow made to believe that “The Last of Us 2” will be announced at the event because of what seemed like a “The Last of Us 2” Easter egg in the action-adventure third-person shooter video game “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” released in May by Naughty Dog exclusively on the PlayStation 4.