The Last of Us is an action game by producer Naughty Dog, released in 2013 for PS3 and remastered in 2014 for PS4. In just one week, it sold more than 1.3 million copies and was critically acclaimed. Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year awards, the title tells the survival story of Joel and Ellie years after an epidemic has destroyed most of human civilization.
To get to this incredible result, many stories rolled backstage, which began to be produced in secret and almost had its ad hampered by a forgotten Easter egg! Want to know more? Then know 10 trivia about The Last of Us.
Production 'top secret'
After the completion of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Naughty Dog divided its employees into two teams: one to work on the continuation of Nathan's adventure and another to develop a new game, which would become The Last of Us.
This team worked secretly for two years and the initial idea was to make the big announcement before the release of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. To keep fans excited about the news, the developers decided to put an Easter egg in Uncharted 3. Subsequently, Sony ended postponing the ad, but the easter egg never got to be removed! Luckily, the reference went unnoticed and the gaffe did not disturb the official announcement.
You want to know what we're talking about? Right at the start of Uncharted 3, Nathan is attacked in a bar. While exploring the site, it is possible to find a newspaper article that says "scientists are still struggling to understand deadly fungus".
The producer did not skimp on references to her other titles! The same bar that Nathan is at the beginning of Uncharted 3 is also visited by Joel in The Last of Us. The name of the establishment, O'Sullivan's Irish Pub, is reference to the character Victor Sullivan, great partner of Nathan. And there's more! When Joel and Ellie are in a toy store, you can see board games and Uncharted toys and other franchises from the producer such as Jak and Daxter.
Even bar is scene of The Last of Us and Uncharted 3, two games of Naughty Dog
Inspiration for history
The Last of Us was inspired by several similar productions, the main one being an episode of the BBC documentary "Planet Earth" (2006), which introduced cordyceps, parasitic fungi capable of transforming insects and arthropods into "zombies". Already the scenarios of the game were partially inspired by Alan Weisman's book "The World Without Us", which talks about what would happen to the world if humans disappeared, and in the series "The Walking Dead." In an interview, game director Neil Druckmann revealed that the relationship between Ellie and Joel was based on his own experience of becoming a father.
After the release of the first trailer for The Last of Us, audiences found Ellie's physical appearance very similar to that of actress Ellen Page. This led the developers to adjust the look of the character, adding up to a scar on the eyebrow. Coincidentally, about the same time, Ellen Page was the star of another title, Beyond: Two Souls.
A great villain
Of course, a complex plot like The Last of Us would have to undergo several changes until finally reaching its final model. The biggest one was in Tess's story. Originally, the character was designed to be the main villain. In that version, Tess would have a brother killed in crossfire with the military as she and Joel took Ellie out of the quarantine zone. She would blame Joel for her brother's death, and for the rest of the game he would chase them both.
No wonder that the song of the game fits perfectly with every moment. The soundtrack was composed simultaneously with the production so that everything was in perfect sync.
Ellie has already been saved by Captain America
Okay, not exactly, but actress Ashley Johnson (Ellie) also played the waitress who is saved by Captain America in the movie "The Avengers: The Avengers."
Pressure on disclosure
Naughty Dog was pressured by executives to alter the arts that gave Ellie more prominence and put Joel on the lead as the only protagonist. All this by believing that a girl on the cover could hurt sales. The producer not only refused the request, but also demanded that women be part of the test team.
To commemorate the release of the remastered version for PS4, Sony held a special event for fans in Santa Monica, California, which included a live performance of important game scenes with the main actors. Were you curious to see the result? Just give the play (the presentation starts from the 50th minute)!
No continuations!
Originally, The Last of Us would not have a sequel. The game was developed with a closed script and finalized so that no breach was created. Sony also gave several interviews stating that the game would not have a sequel.
