Naughty Dog initially contemplated taking a markedly distinct approach with The Last of Us Part 2 (TLOU 2) before settling on the version ultimately released in 2020. Grounded II, a documentary chronicling the production of TLOU 2, sheds light on the studio’s original vision for the game.
According to Anthony Newman, co-game director, the initial concept involved crafting an open world inspired by Bloodborne, emphasizing a melee-centric gameplay experience.
“In the first four or five months, it was actually an open world inspired by Bloodborne,” explained Newman during the documentary. He highlighted that the focus was entirely on hand-to-hand combat. As the documentary progressed, Emila Schatz, the lead game designer, elucidated that the studio delved not only into melee combat but also into the layout structure of the game.
Schatz drew parallels to Bloodborne’s expansive and evolving open spaces, expressing admiration for the sense of mastery over the world that it conveyed. “Bloodborne had a very–sort of an open space that sort of kept getting bigger and bigger as you explored. I really like that feeling you get of mastery over the world. It starts to become almost a character in the game itself,” she remarked.
Initially driven by the goal of making TLOU 2 as distinct as possible from its predecessor, Naughty Dog gradually shifted its direction. The decision to veer away from the open-world concept stemmed from the realization that it wasn’t aligning with the narrative the studio intended to convey.
The documentary also revealed insights from Neil Druckmann, co-writer and co-director of the first two games, hinting at the possibility of The Last Of Us 3 becoming more plausible than ever.
