Naughty Dog On The Last Of Us Part II: “This Is A Game About Hate”

If the beginning of Joel and Ellie’s story centered on a heartfelt friendship – one forged in the midst of a brutal, kill-or-be-killed world – then The Last of Us Part II will involve a story about hate.

That’s according to developer Naughty Dog, who offered up some tantalizing new details regarding the PS4 sequel at the ongoing PlayStation Experience event in Anaheim, where the original, show-stopping reveal took place.

It’s “super early” in development, according to Sony’s Shawn Layden, but we do know that The Last of Us Part II picks up a few years after the events of the original, at a time when Ashley Johnson’s Ellie is 19-years-old. She’s been put through the wringer, judging by the sombre trailer above – “she’s gone through some shit,” teased Game Director Neil Druckmann – and one big question going into the follow-up is how Joel’s selfish decision has affected their once-ironclad relationship.

They continue to be the heart of The Last of Us series, though, and Game Informer went on to confirm Gustavo Santaolalla, the musical maestro that worked on the original, haunting score, will be back, back, back for The Last of Us Part II. Ditto for Troy Baker (Joel) and Johnson (Ellie), after Druckmann took to PS Blog to tease the next chapter in their heart-wrenching journey.

I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to finally be able to say that Ellie and Joel are back for another intense, harrowing, and emotional adventure. Like many of you, we have a deep love for the world of The Last of Us and its characters, and while a sequel may have seemed like a foregone conclusion, that wasn’t the case. We knew that it needed to be a story worth telling and, perhaps more importantly, a story worthy of Joel and Ellie. After spending years on different ideas (and almost giving up), we finally uncovered a story that felt special – a story that evolved into an epic journey.

The Last of Us Part II is in the works for PS4 but at least right now, there are precious few details available. Tell us, what are your hopes for the sequel?