According to Neil Druckmann, the idea for The Last Of Us came as a counter to one of the biggest horror franchises in gaming.

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the co-president of Naughty Dog described the process of creating his next game after the success of Uncharted II: Among Thieves. He decided on something related to zombies but didn't want a reductive idea like zombie survival horror, saying, "We wanted to do the opposite of Resident Evil — which I love, but it's so over-the-top, and you're fighting giant spiders, and it's all about enemy variety."

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Druckmann's inspiration was more about stories about relationships, set against apocalyptic backgrounds, saying, "What if it's about intimate relationships — an exploration of the unconditional love a parent feels for their child and the beautiful things that could come out of that and the really horrible things that could come out of that?" The Last of Us creator referenced films like Children of Men, and the novel City of Thieves, as sources of inspiration.

He also recounted a moment when a reviewer was brought in to test a beta version of The Last of Us and complained about the lack of boss fights and laser weapons. "I was working on my dream game," Druckmann said, "I was like, 'They're never going to let me do this again.' I wanted to fail on my own terms. So there was no compromise."

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The Last of Us Enduring Popularity

The Last of Us -- now titled The Last of Us: Part I -- released for Playstation 3 on Jun 14, 2013, to near-universal praise, with the game currently sitting at 95 on Metacritic, with a user score of 9.2. The game was praised for its incredible story, emotionally developed characters, and intense gameplay. Within a week of its release, The Last of Us sold over 1.3 million units, becoming the biggest video game launch of 2013 at the time. Three weeks after its release, the game sold over 3.4 million, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation 3 game of 2013.

The game is being adapted into a live-action series for HBO Max starring Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The series is set to release on Jan 15, 2015, and will remain mostly faithful to the game's story while adding some elements that, according to Druckmann, didn't make it into the game.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter