During a recent livestream demonstration for soon-to-be-released compilation Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Naughty Dog seemingly let slip confirmation of The Last of Us 2.
News of a sequel to 2013’s post-apocalyptic masterclass is nothing new, with voice actors Nolan North and Troy Baker hinting at various stages over the past year or so that a follow-up was indeed in the works. How and ever, Gamepur has spotted what is perhaps the biggest indication that the studio is planning to continue the story of Joel and Ellie – or shift the focus to new characters entirely.
Upon hosting the aforementioned video event, ND strategist Eric Monacelli, writer Josh Scherr and lead animator Eric Baldwin all delved into the minutia of The Nathan Drake Collection, though it was Scherr that allegedly outed the existence of The Last of Us 2.
“All the facial animation in the Uncharted series was led up by Eric, here,” he begins, “and [on] the first The Last of Us. Uh, did I say the first The Last of Us?”
It’s by no means an official confirmation, though the fact that internal developers within Naughty Dog are at the very least knowledgable of a new entry into the studio’s Cordyceps-ridden universe lends credence to its existence. One thing worth mentioning is the studio’s Left Behind expansion, which expanded the storyline of Ellie and her friend Riley – mind you, it’s unlikely that Scherr is referring to the story-centric DLC based on his reaction.
Naughty Dog currently has all hands on deck ahead of the launch of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, meaning it’s unlikely we’ll hear any concrete details about The Last of Us 2 until at least E3 2016. But what direction could the studio possibly take?
