The Last of Us Was Supposed To Start Life as a Graphic Novel

In a recent interview with the LA Times, Neil Druckmann spoke at length about The Last of Us and the future of Naughty Dog, the studio that he has led (or co-led) for several years. He mentioned that the studio won’t always be focused on The Last of Us and that there are several single-player projects in the works at the firm, but while doing so, he dropped a juicy tidbit about the origin story of the legendary post-apocalyptic game.

In the opening section of the interview with the LA Times, it was explained that Druckmann’s idea for The Last of Us’ base story was destined to become a graphic novel. It was a concept he’d been nurturing since college – the emotional, intense story of a man and a young girl traversing a harrowing, apocalyptic landscape in search of greener pastures.

Druckmann wanted to put pen to paper and turn this gritty story into a graphic novel long before he had the idea of turning it into a video game. In the report, it was said that even when Druckmann was working in that environment, he wasn’t inclined to even pitch the idea of The Last of Us – until he did.

Immediately the light bulb went off.

Neil Druckmann on realising he was ready to raise The Last of Us

In 2013, Naughty Dog released The Last of Us to the world, and gaming history was forever changed. This legendary game would go on to spawn a follow-up title seven years later, and eventually, an award-winning television series. From the seed of an idea to one of the most highly awarded franchises in gaming, The Last of Us – which should have started life as a graphic novel – became a super-selling series recognised worldwide for its storytelling and intensely realistic setting.

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