10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Last Of Us
5. There Was An Alternate Ending
Neil Druckmann, creative director and king of
everything The Last Of Us, has gone on record in many, many interviews speaking
about the different endings, ideas and concepts behind the game as it was being
produced. From the musical rendition of the final scene to Tess being a
potential villain, all the way to the much happier version of the game’s
ending. Druckmann stated that the original ending for The Last Of Us was a more hopeful one, where Joel and Ellie make it to San Francisco to help rebuild
society alongside a colony of survivors. It all sounds very lovely and like the
exact kind of ending you’d want to give to your hard fought protagonists,
particularly little Ellie.
However, Druckmann did not share the same sentiment. He felt that, “After everything they’ve done and everything they’ve been through, that was letting them off a little too easy – especially Joel.” He clearly had a more harsh, unrelenting tone for the game’s world in mind, even going so far as wanting to end on an uneasy note.
The game initially tested poorly with focus groups and it took time for everything to come together. With a blatant lie to Ellie and her final words of, “Okay”, it’s fair to say they nailed the uneasy tone they were going for.