The Last of Us confirmed as a new Naughty Dog PlayStation 3 exclusive

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 11 December, 2011

UPDATE: Gameplay details revealed.

UPDATE: Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells has posted on the PlayStation Blog new The Last of Us details.

From the website:

"The Last of Us is a genre-defining experience that blends survival and action elements to tell a character driven tale about a modern plague decimating mankind. Nature encroaches upon civilization, forcing remaining survivors to kill for food, weapons and whatever they can find. Joel, a ruthless survivor, and Ellie, a brave young teenage girl who is wise beyond her years, must work together to survive their journey across what remains of the United States."

Wells confirmed Naughty Dog veterans Neil Druckmann (creative director) and Bruce Straley (game director) are leading the project, and promised to discuss "how we've been working as a two team studio".

ORIGINAL STORY: Sony has unveiled The Last of Us, a new PlayStation 3 exclusive from Uncharted developer Naughty Dog.

Will.i.am took to the stage at the Spike Video Game Awards to reveal the game, which Sony has teased over the last month with a series of viral videos.

A gameplay trailer, made up of in-game footage, showed a man and young girl fight for survival against plague-ridden humans in a city being reclaimed by nature.

A release window is yet to be announced.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (62) Latest comment 5 months ago

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  • JawzPause #1 6 months ago

    Wow! Really wasn't expecting Naughty Dog to be the developer seeing as they just released U3, but I'm definitely a lot more pumped up for the game now knowing the game is in good hands.

  • streetmagix #2 6 months ago

    .... I'm speechless.

  • PierrePressure #3 6 months ago

    Gah, missed the trailer!

  • sfp_noodle #4 6 months ago

    That looks stunning. Reminded me a lot of "The Walking Dead" TV series. Whether it's a zombie game or not, I don't give a shit, because ND are developing it and for me they are the best developers around along with Valve.

    Here is a link to the trailer
    Edited by sfp_noodle at 11/12/11 @ 01:32

  • Master09 #5 6 months ago

    New IP....... Yay!

    Naughty Dog.. Yay!

  • SaintDaveUK #6 6 months ago

    Trailer is up on GameTrailers. Looks amazing, can't wait!

  • ro-kurorai #7 6 months ago

    Ellen Page =)
    Edited by ro-kurorai at 12/12/11 @ 18:58

  • Dafub #8 6 months ago

    @ro-kurorai indeed

  • UkHardcore23 #9 6 months ago

    Could this be the reason why they dropped the ball with Uncharted 3?

  • You_shlaaaag #10 6 months ago

    Has it been confirmed as in-game? I find that very hard to believe. I would be delighted to be proved wrong, though.

  • Zomoniac #11 6 months ago

    Looks phenomenal. I just hope it's more than yet another zombie survival game (albeit a stunning one).

  • You_shlaaaag #12 6 months ago

    In fact Christophe Balestra has just announced on Twitter that that footage was ALL rendered using the game engine.

    Fuck. Me.

  • Mark1412 #13 6 months ago

    Looks like it could be great. Would be nice to play a zombie game starring some characters with something interesting going on inside.

  • sfp_noodle #14 6 months ago

    @UkHardcore23

    I don't think they dropped the ball at all. U2 was their masterpiece. As much as we and ND wanted, they couldn't have topped it. But they did a fine job in very nearly equalling it. I won't deny that U3 wasn't as good as U2, but they showed the same consistently high standards in creating that game as they have done with all of their others.

    I'm happy Sony is allowing ND the freedom to explore new IPs and not forcing them to create endless sequels like some other platform holders. Uncharted has become Sony's biggest franchise and I don't think anyone would be surprised if they started to milk it. But in allowing ND to move onto something completely new and different is a breath of fresh air. I applaud Sony for that.

    They also allowed Media Molecule to move on from Little Big Planet and that shows tremendous faith in their teams. This is the reason why despite their fuck ups, Sony will always be my first choice platform for games. They keep their core franchises going but they are always coming up with new IP every gen and show a diversity in their line-up which is un-matched.
    Edited by sfp_noodle at 11/12/11 @ 02:01

  • CARL05 #15 6 months ago

    It's worth noting that this is a seperate team to the Uncharted guys. I wonder if they will have a break go to another IP or join The Last of Us team?

  • kassmageant #16 6 months ago

    naughty dog, for me the sole reason why i regret buying xbox instead of ps3, i mean, just look at that damn trailer! sony don't need to rush with ps4, there's still some juice in that black baby

  • varsas #17 6 months ago

    <quote>sfp_noodle wrote:
    That looks stunning. Reminded me a lot of "The Walking Dead" TV series. Whether it's a zombie game or not, I don't give a shit, because ND are developing it and for me they are the best developers around along with Valve.

    Here is a link to the trailer</quote>

    The trailer reminded me of Legend the Will Smith film and the girl of Ellen Paige. There have been so many variations of zombies, living and undead, that I wonder if NG can bring anything new to the genre.

  • FenderMaster #18 6 months ago

    Naughty Dog? So it's in good hands! Hearing this news has just made me realise that ND is one of the best developers around. It doesn't matter what game they're working on, just knowing they're behind it makes me know I want it! Rocksteady too, both developers have really proven themselves this generation to be the best of the best, I'll be pre-ordering anything either of those studios games.

  • orangpelupa #19 6 months ago

    the trailer awesome

    felt like AMY + Dead Island (the original trailer not the game....) + i AM Legend movie + Uncharted (drake?) + Enslaved

    combined and reimagined into new fabulous game

  • CARL05 #20 6 months ago

    @You_shlaaaag The line fron Naughty Dog Co-President Christophe Balestra is: "The Last of Us trailer was rendered in engine on the PS3"

  • Beano #21 6 months ago

    I'm sure it will be great (it's ND after all) but seems very uninspired to make another zombie game :p

  • Beano #22 6 months ago

    @CARL05 Many of U2+U3's cut scenes were also rendered with the game engine, but pre-rendered (not real-time).

  • God_Octo #23 6 months ago

    Yes for ND doing it and it being a new IP, but I'm not so sure about the zombie vibe it has. It might be a fungus, but its still effectively zombies, which I'm not particularly keen on.

  • The-Jack-Burton #24 6 months ago

    Cool!

  • You_shlaaaag #25 6 months ago

    @Beano UC3 in particular looks pretty much identical to the cutscenes. Just the lip-syncing is off.

  • Lunastra78 #26 6 months ago

    Looks amazing and pretty much stole the show (at least so far). But why do they have crap artists like Will I Am and Jonas Brothers presenting games? Do they think all gamers are musically handicapped?

  • chessboxer #27 6 months ago

    @God_Octo

    As this seems to be based on the Cordyceps, the zombie comparison can't be avoided because that is how it works in real life (it attacks the brain of the infected and can affect their behaviour).

    We should really be grateful that the fungi has not mutated to attack humans or larger animals (our main food source).

    As far as the game goes, I'm looking forward to this. ND are awesome, they also teased this in UC3 (it's on the wall in the pub - Chapter 1).

  • reeferchief #28 6 months ago

    Fucking A.

  • GaryHoward #29 6 months ago

    Hmmm, Ellie bares a not-so-subtle resemblance to Ellen Page...you might as well have called her Juno. Yay, more zombies (so excited, yay, waving my hands in excitement, but really I'm dead inside, even if it is Naughty Dog).

  • MattEdWithCheese #30 6 months ago

    Glad that there's finally another Naughtydog game that I can enjoy...

  • Silent-Hal #31 6 months ago

    I was interested in this based off the teasers, but finding out that it's being developed by freaking Naughty Dog? Definitely on my radar.

  • Nova1977 #32 6 months ago

    Up until 10minutes ago I thought this was the new game from Epic, but this looks amazing, Naughty Dog, yet again you steal the show.
    This does look like they're gonna pull a tearjerker though and have like the dad dying at the end.

  • Moz #33 6 months ago

    @GaryHoward Given their tendency to make the characters look like the voice aftershocks I'm hopeful that Ellen Page will be providing the voice for Ellie

    Edit: you gotta love auto-correct!! Not sure how my phone got aftershocks from actors.
    Edited by Moz at 11/12/11 @ 06:24

  • joelstinton #34 6 months ago

    i'm going to meet a girl called ellie O.o . I'm in.

  • Spazdarn #35 6 months ago

    I am Legend, but a girl instead of the dog? Don't kill the dog this time!

  • man.the.king #36 6 months ago

    The mention of "Naughty Dog" raised this game from "huh what was that" (hadn't seen anything about it, just read a couple of lines here on EG) to "gotta keep an eye on this"!

  • man.the.king #37 6 months ago

    @GaryHoward

    Hmmm, Ellie bares a not-so-subtle resemblance to Ellen Page...you might as well have called her Juno. Yay, more zombies (so excited, yay, waving my hands in excitement, but really I'm dead inside, even if it is Naughty Dog).

    Yeah, I was thinking that too - likes quite a bit like a younger Page.

  • AnotherIdiot #38 6 months ago

    I would like to play this but it would mean re-buying the rubbish console that i thrown in the trash after Sony tried to extort £130 from me to fix.

  • Triggerhappytel #39 6 months ago

    Looks amazing, I fucking love Naughty Dog, and bravo to Sony for allowing them the freedom to create a new IP this late in the console lifespan.

    I also agree with everything sfp noodle said.

  • kingpin3000 #40 6 months ago

    It's interesting. It was only Friday night that I was saying how much I hate the current trend to put zombies in everything. But if anyone can change my mind it's Naughty Dog.

  • Dave52 #41 6 months ago

    I am excite... I hope it has Couch Co-Op...

  • MisterSlimm #42 6 months ago

    Zombies. *sigh* What is it about zombies? And, didn't somebody already make Dead Island? Still, Naughty Dog are one of the best developers at the moment so I'm sure the game'll be good.

  • NotSoSlim #43 6 months ago

    Can we not wait for more details before calling it Dead Island? This may have a totally different take on genre
    Edited by NotSoSlim at 11/12/11 @ 10:08

  • penhalion #44 6 months ago

    I'm going to play devils advocate here and say isn't this just a take on "I am Legend". I'm fully expecting mutant humans, escaped and thriving zoo animals and some take on travelling at night.

    Having said that I expect if it's naughty dog it will at least play well (uncharted 3 being the exception from this studio)

  • lockload #45 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 09:50:18 12-12-2011

  • rotmm #46 6 months ago

    @lockload, "So im guessing naughty dog is no longer going multi platform as was presumed?"

    Presumed by who? I don't recall seeing any presumption that Sony are planning to release new titles on multiple platforms.

    If there was the odd internet commentator out there making such presumptions, we can firmly place them in the "fuckwit" catagory I think.

  • NotSoSlim #47 6 months ago

    @lockload

    ND love working with Sony. Obviously Sony love them as they are allowing to make new IP this late into cycle

  • rotmm #48 6 months ago

    NotSoSlim,

    Well yes, that and the fact that they are wholly owned by Sony. So I think what you really meant to write was "ND love working at Sony" ;)
    Edited by rotmm at 11/12/11 @ 10:57

  • SpaceMonkey77 #49 6 months ago

    I like the look of it. Its not zombie apocalypse, but another kind works well too. Nice trailer, but I hope the gameplay looks just as good. There's still a lot of good place to go with this kind of genre, and it'll be interesting to see how Ubisoft and Naughty's efforts, do next year.

  • beatwolf #50 6 months ago

    always with the handsome brown-haired dark eyed manly protagonist.. puke!

  • lockload #51 6 months ago

    @rotmm My bad got confused with Insomniac lol

  • djronz. #52 6 months ago

    I was thinking "oh no, not another zombie game" untill  i realised naughty dog seem to have applied the same class as shown in uncharted to the genre. Excellent stuff if the trailer is to go by.

  • Creasy #53 6 months ago

    Didn't care for the game at first, but now that we know it's by Naughty Dog... HOLY SHIT. Already one of my if not THE most anticipated game.
    How the F does Naughty Dog do that??
    Creating two masterpieces each within 2 years (!!!) - more quality in every aspect of videogaming making than ANY other game out there. And now they even have ANOTHER NEW ip. Just incredible.
    The new game Gods.
    So can't wait.

    PS: So funny and sad how in the game industry (and actually everywhere else) people are just copying some bullshit what someone started with. The girl doesn't look like Ellen Page at all, yet everyone calls her that now because some idiot started it. Sigh.
    Edited by Creasy at 11/12/11 @ 12:49

  • Creasy #54 6 months ago

    @UkHardcore23 if you mean by dropping the ball creating the new best game ever made (in terms of every aspect of videogame making), then yeah, probably.

    There isn't one game studio which comes even close. And now they're even were (and are) working on TWO major blockbusters. Just unbelievable.
    Other developers make worse games in 5 years than those guys in 1 or 2.

  • Scopeh #55 6 months ago

    I am Legend + Zombieland= The last of Us

    Game will be amazing if they get the multiplayer like LFD2.

  • jefranklin18 #56 6 months ago

    Definitely interested in getting this. Naughty Dog are a top notch developer (as seen in the Uncharted series) so I am sure even if "it's another zombie game", it's going to be worth getting.

  • Alex_V #57 6 months ago

    I can't tell you how much it means to have the new trailer endorsed by Will.I.Am. Thankyou VGAs.

    The trailer looks like Dead Island meets I Am Alive - illustrious company indeed.

  • Nevermindme #58 6 months ago

    Future... EG review... 8/10. trollface

  • Kaminari #59 6 months ago

    @CARL05 It's not a "separate" team. Many of the same program devs have been working on U3 and LoU. Some of the U1/U2 artists and designers were assigned to LoU.

  • scuffpuppies #60 6 months ago

    @Anotheridiot

    Your user name is no mistake is it?

  • alexbulluk #61 6 months ago

    Would've been impressed with this no matter what, but knowing it's coming from ND? It's gonna be awesome. Guaranteed.

  • kangarootoo #62 5 months ago

    So where are the 'gameplay details' promosed by the headline? I saw a narrative synopsis, but no gameplay.

    Also, beautiful trailer. Not sure people are quite clear on the difference between 'rendered in game engine' and 'rendered real time', but nicely put tigether all the same.

    I await gameplay details with anticipation ;)