The Last of Us Part II
The Last of Us Part II is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Set four years after The Last of Us (2013), the game focuses on two playable characters in a post-apocalyptic United States whose lives intertwine: Ellie, who sets out in revenge for a murder, and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult. The game uses a third-person perspective; the player must fight human enemies and zombie-like creatures with firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth.
The Last of Us Part II
- Neil Druckmann
- Anthony Newman
- Kurt Margenau
- Emilia Schatz
- Richard Cambier
- Travis McIntosh
- Christian Gyrling
- Erick Pangilinan
- John Sweeney
- Christian Nakata
- Neil Druckmann
- Halley Gross
- PlayStation 4
- June 19, 2020
- PlayStation 5
- January 19, 2024
The game's development began in 2014, after the release of The Last of Us Remastered. Neil Druckmann returned as creative director, co-writing the story with Halley Gross. The themes of revenge and retribution were inspired by Druckmann's experiences growing up in Israel. Ashley Johnson reprises her role as Ellie, while Laura Bailey was cast as Abby. Their performances included the simultaneous recording of motion and voice. Gustavo Santaolalla returned to compose and perform the score. The developers pushed the PlayStation 4's technical capabilities. Development reportedly included a crunch schedule of 12-hour workdays and cost around US$220 million, making it one of the most expensive video games to develop.
Following some delays, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Last of Us Part II was released for the PlayStation 4 on June 19, 2020. A remastered version was released for the PlayStation 5 on January 19, 2024. Part II received acclaim for its gameplay, audio design, score, performances, characters, and visual fidelity, though its narrative and themes divided critics. It was review bombed on Metacritic, with some players criticizing the story and characters; discourse surrounding the game became adversarial. Part II is one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games and the fastest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive, with over four million units sold in its release weekend and over ten million by 2022. It won more than 320 Game of the Year awards and received multiple other accolades from awards shows and gaming publications.
Sales[edit]
In its release weekend, The Last of Us Part II sold over four million copies worldwide, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive, beating Marvel's Spider-Man's 3.3 million and God of War's 3.1 million in the same period.[175][176] It had the biggest launch of 2020 for both physical and digital sales.[177] On the PlayStation Store, it was the most-downloaded PlayStation 4 game in North America and Europe in June;[178] in July, it was fifth in North America and tenth in Europe;[179] in November, it was the eighth in North America and seventh in Europe;[180] and overall for 2020, it ranked sixth in North America and eighth in Europe.[181] In the United States, it was the best-selling game of June 2020 and became the third-best-selling game of the year within two weeks, generating the highest first-month sales of the year.[182] By August 2020, it had become the third-highest-grossing PlayStation game in the United States, behind Marvel's Spider-Man and God of War.[183] Overall, it was the sixth-best-selling game of the year in the United States;[184] it was the third-best-selling for PlayStation consoles, and the best-selling PlayStation 4-only game.[185] By June 2022, the game had sold through over ten million copies worldwide.[186]
In the United Kingdom, The Last of Us Part II became the fastest-selling physical PlayStation 4 game, outselling previous record holder Uncharted 4 by at least one percent and The Last of Us by 76 percent;[187] it was the nation's eighth-best-selling game of the year with 543,218 copies sold,[188] and the seventh for physical sales.[189] A price discount in February 2021 saw it re-enter the UK physical charts in third place, representing a 3,992 percent increase.[190] In Japan, The Last of Us Part II was the best-selling game during its first week, selling an estimated 178,696 physical copies.[191] In Germany, it sold over 200,000 copies in June 2020[192] and 500,000 by December 2020.[193] In Australia, it was the eighth-best-selling of the year, and the third for physical sales.[194]
Legacy[edit]
Critics concurred that The Last of Us Part II was among the best games of the eighth generation of video game consoles[195] and a great closing title before the ninth.[91][115][196][197] An internal review by Sony's competitor Microsoft—published as a court document in the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit in 2021—said the game "sets a new bar for what we should hope to be able to achieve going into a new generation of consoles".[198][199] Many outlets considered it among the greatest video games ever made,[200] and some called it one of the best-written.[201][202]
The Last of Us Part II is expected to be adapted into multiple seasons of the television adaptation of The Last of Us, starting with the second season,[203] set to premiere in 2025.[204] Druckmann and series co-showrunner Craig Mazin wanted to avoid filler between the seasons, jumping into adapting the sequel immediately.[205] Mazin confirmed plans for a "significantly larger" third season if the second is successful, and suspected Part II's story may require a fourth.[206] Kaitlyn Dever is cast as Abby in the series,[207] alongside Young Mazino as Jesse[208] and Isabela Merced as Dina.[209] Jeffrey Wright is set to reprise his role as Isaac from the game.[210]
Druckmann and Gross wrote an outline for a story set after Part II by April 2021, but noted it was not in active development.[211] Druckmann later clarified the outline was for a "small story" focused on Tommy, rather than a full sequel to Part II ; he felt it would eventually be released, possibly as a game or television series.[212] In 2023, Druckmann confirmed he had a concept for a third main game in the series that is thematically consistent with the first two games, stating there is "probably one more chapter to this story".[212]
