Naughty Dog has been hard at work putting together
The Last of Us Part II for quite a long time now. The first instalment released way back in 2013 and the sequel was announced in December 2016. Yet we're almost through 2019 and are yet to get our hands on a copy of the highly anticipated game.
Thankfully,
The Last of Us Part II will finally be releasing on February 21st, 2020. But why has the sequel taken so long to arrive? Well, Neil Druckmann recently discussed that very question during an interview with
IGN. Druckmann serves as the writer and co-director of
The Last of Us Part II.
The creative held the same positions for the first instalment but this time around he's joined by Halley Gross. Gross recently teased that
The Last of Us Part II will be about 50% larger than its predecessor —
find out more on that here.
According to Druckmann, it's that which has kept the game in the works for so long: the scale. While Naughty Dog have left out multiplayer this time around;
The Last of Us Part II is the studio's longest and most ambitious title to date — so much so that it takes up two Blu-ray discs.
“We didn’t set out to make the biggest game we’ve ever done, we set out to tell this really ambitious story that became the biggest game we’ve ever done. And that’s why we took as long as we have," Druckmann explained that both their ambition and the size of the upcoming game just kept expanding. The co-director went on:
The story we laid out four years ago is really complex, has a large cast of characters. The core of it is simple, but where it goes and the twist and turns are complex. We needed more time for cinematics, we needed more locations, we needed more types of enemies. So the scope of it kept growing. You’re going on this crazy, emotional, harrowing roller coaster ride that has these highs of tension and these slower, more provocative, thoughtful moments...those kind of events are sprinkled throughout the entire game.
Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors.
When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closure. As she hunts those responsible one by one, she is confronted with the devastating physical and emotional repercussions of her actions.
The Last of Us Part II will release exclusively for the PlayStation 4 on February 21st, 2020.