The Last of Us Was Supposed To Start Life as a Graphic Novel
Neil Druckmann has explained that The Last of Us was supposed to start life as a graphic novel and not a video game.
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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.
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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.
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.
