The Last Of Us 2 Director On Main Characters: “No One Is Safe”

This weekend at the PlayStation Experience, Naughty Dog teased some story details for The Last Of Us Part II. Some of the details were vague, but a few stuck out as particularly interesting.

Talking with GameSpot, director and writer Neil Druckmann said, "Everybody dies at some point." He was speaking generally, as in everybody dies being part of life. But he continues specifically about The Last Of Us Part II. "There are stakes–there are real stakes. With The Last of Us, no one is safe. We want people to go into The Last of Us: Part II, especially with this theme [of hate] and what we're trying to say with this game, is knowing that no one is safe–not even these two [Joel and Ellie]."

The main theme for The Last Of Us 1 was love. The world the characters inhabit is a cold and cruel one, but love keeps them going. As seen immediately in the latest trailer from Paris Games Week, Part II reminds us how dark their world is. We're reminded that it's filled with hate.

Halley Gross, collaborative writer on The Last of Us Part II, also came up during the discussion on the new sequel. The team had a solid beginning and end planned for the title, and at one point, they were tasked with filling in the middle. With the theme encasing humanity in the raw, he shared an experience of Gross's first day.  "After her first day, Halley goes home and says to her husband, 'I think I got someone pregnant.' And you'll see what that means [in The Last Of Us: Part II]."

Of course, being The Last Of Us, the story wouldn't be complete without elements of hope and lightheartedness, according to Druckmann. "pursuing justice; the positive and the negative and the really messy grey area that can occupy that."

The full panel for The Last Of Us Part II can be seen above. Serving as a subtle response to the anti-single-player narrative churning in the industry lately (mostly from EA), this panel reminds fans what single-player gaming is all about.

Many news outlets shared opinions on The Last of Us Part II 's trailer being 'too violent' and needing toning down. Our own Tatiana Morris wrote exactly why she disagrees, which falls into place right next to Druckmann's "No one is safe" narrative.