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The Last of Us 2 Mentioned in Former Naughty Dog Developer's Resume

Former lead character artist's LinkedIn profile may have inadvertently revealed a sequel.

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A sequel to Naughty Dog's acclaimed action-survival game The Last of Us may be in the works, according to the resume of former Naughty Dog lead character artist Michael Knowland. According to Knowland's LinkedIn profile, Naughty Dog had produced prototype designs for use in The Last of Us 2 earlier this year.

Knowland had joined Naughty Dog in October 2011 and worked on The Last of Us as well as Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. At present, he is a senior character artist at Avalanche Studios and is working on Just Cause 3.

Knowland left Naughty Dog in April this year. His departure followed on from a number of high-ranking staff who left the studio, including Uncharted 4 director Justin Richmond, writer Amy Hennig, lead artist Nate Wells, and actor Todd Stashwick.

The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann said in a Reddit AMA last February that there was a "50/50" possibility of a sequel. Naughty Dog has since confirmed it is working on two new "brand-new experiences" one of which is Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, due to launch sometime next year.

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npgr

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Am I the only person that thought the first game was a boring generic game driven by a poor story? I felt the gameplay was just boring hide and seek gameplay. In fact I felt like I was cheesing the game because of the constant hiding whilst the AI characters in your party were just walking in plain view of the enemy.

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fire897

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I can appreciate the presentation this game had, but this game simply did not have good stealth mechanics. The writing was also very predictable( though the dialogue was very well written) and the game was overall not very engaging.

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chris120379

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Oh so u r the one who didn't like the game. lol

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RSM-HQ

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<< LINK REMOVED >> I quite liked the story, it was realistic compared with other end-of-the-world scenarios. And the Intro was very moving for me.


As gameplay was concerned I don't think it did better 3rd person shooting than Uncharted/ Gears or my personal favourite of last gen Vanquish.


With the focus on stealth it was hollow compared to games like Splitter Cell & Metal Gear.


It never played bad, and A.I. was acceptable. Last of Us has become more known for it's connection with realistic characters and presentation.


& on that matter I personally favour The Evil Within. But that's only because I like more meat on my games.

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fire897

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You call a world full of walking mushrooms and cannibals realistic? Darker and more serious maybe, but it was anything but realistic.

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shadiezz2012

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Not me

i played TLOU 7 times with no listen mode (Hard/Survival) and still didn't play grounded mode yet what kept me coming back is the great mix of stealth,Action,awesome mele combat..the game is brutal...it feel very real shooting someone or punching him etc of the other game options....i enjoyed the AI alot and how dynamic it is

when they hide in rooms and attack me or when they flank me from every where or Hold Joel from behind ,the traps you make, the craft system etc

the mele combat is one if not the best i have seen in TPS game ...because how brutal and real it was, also you can upgrade the Aim

the story is indeed amazing but what kept me coming back was the gameplay

the stealth was great too ...partner AI in stealth didn't bother me at all because i would hate to that they break my stealth...that would made me hate this game soo much but instead it's one of the best i have ever played in 27 ..the game mix action and survival elements like no other

and thankfuly most gamers and critcs agree on that

as for Evil Within

that game was good but had too many flaws to shine,the steath was broken and pretty bad ,the mele combat is very outdated,the story was not good either

once i finished it ...i never came back to it again

but i respect your opinion though

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npgr

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I just felt like I was hiding all the way but without any feeling of tenseness or dread that sometimes comes with metal gear or evil within. When you see your characters trying to hide too but in plain view it completely took the immersion away. I'm not saying it's a bad game at all, but when a game is so story driven with poor shooting mechanics (I completely understand why they did this though) it becomes subjective just like movies or tv shows and sadly I didn't enjoy it. I'll buy and play number two though just in case I like it more

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RSM-HQ

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<< LINK REMOVED >> I highly agree! The one part of the game when I felt I no longer had to hide (which at times got really stiff in its control)


Was when the combat got more gripping 'I think it was in the last hour of the game' Grabbed the Assault rifle for the first time; tweaked it and destroyed anything in my path. Till then it was getting tedious.


I've played Last of Us only once and didn't care to play again. The plot was the only thing driving me forward.


& The Evil Within I'm in my sixth playthrough, and that's because it's mechanically more refined and you hunt for your answers :)

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PosiTVEMinD355

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Felt exactly the same. Last of Us was a bore to me playing it the second time around but somehow, Evil Within made me come back for more

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andmcq

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<< LINK REMOVED >> One of very few I'd assume.

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JustBeFahad

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Not the only one, but definitely one of the very few.

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npgr

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Suppose it depends if you got into the narrative or not. I enjoy seeing them attempt this stuff though. It's good for the industry

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fire897

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How is emulating film good for the industry? Id actually argue it's holding the industry back. There's so much more we can do with this medium yet were praising a game for playing it extremely safe.

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npgr

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Because it's almost like its another genre in its own right. That could tempt more people into buying a console meaning we get better games in general because there's more money to be made

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scorpionZ9

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<< LINK REMOVED >> yep bad AI sometimes gives away the immersion... But I for one think the game play fit the world almost perfectly.. as in the wonky gun control hide game-play..


But the voice acting and gritty story are what's most impressive... Also the MP is great .. not everybody likes it.. but I love it and played MP for a couple of months

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deactivated-5fbd0ee14cee1

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Hardly surprising

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Gravity_Slave

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Neither is the fact that you'll never see it on the PC for a 2nd time. *sad face*

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Norwegian38

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if true what a total f*** up, put YES give me more!!!

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tom_cat_01

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As long as Joel and Ellie aren't in it.... then I'm very excited for this.. But please no Joel and Ellie. There story has been told, and adding more would ruin it.

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JustBeFahad

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Art for a sequel showed a grown-up Ellie playing a guitar. Maybe they can continue Ellie's tale once Joel is gone?

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AdolfHatesJuice

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Thst art was fan made if I remember correctly.

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tom_cat_01

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> I hope not. That art was just a non-official thing anyway.


But having more Ellie would completely ruin my interpretation of the ending. Which is that Ellie is so broken and defeated, so wracked by survivor's guilt, that she accepts Joel's lie.... as if Ellie, the smart, sassy kid we've been travelling with, wouldn't be able to see through Joel's false story. She's just lost all her fight.


Having Ellie back fighting Infected again would ruin this deeply human, deeply sad and kinda ambiguous ending, for me. I love the game because is has a "projected ending" (one where the story finishes *after* the ending that the audience sees)... and I truly believe that adding anything more would undermine this.

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xtraflossy

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Perhaps she accepted the lie partly FOR Joel, and not herself. She put him through a lot.


I could totally see years later, Joel dies, and she struggles with the lie she chose to believe.. and doesn't have to "protect" Joel anymore...


That's the best part! Everyone has their own interpretation. That said, once they release a sequel that personal interpretation may be lost.


Either way, the risk of not rising to the same level as the first one is very, very high.

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k1fry67

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YES !!! **** YES !!

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JustBeFahad

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Yay! One of my all-time favorites, I hope the sequel is up to the standard of the original!

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Litchie

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Extremely surprising.

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Dark_Wr4ith

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A highly successful game which garnered much critical acclaim and made a lot of money is getting a sequel?! Pull the other one.

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IJONOI

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Leave this as a stand alone classic and move onto another great IP.

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shadiezz2012

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<< LINK REMOVED >> it is a classic but i want more :D

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NTM23

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I'm all for it. I love The Last of Us, and one way or another, want to visit that world again.

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tornado9632

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MAKE IT HAPPEN! I WANT TO BEAT IT 20 TIMES AS I DID FOR THE FIRST!

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kozakon

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don't let it be a prequel, please.

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bluebird08

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If this really does happen, I think it should have a totally new set of characters in the same world. Or... What I would love to see, is what happens during the 20 year time period leading up to the game. Seeing what Joel and Thomas go through while the apocalypse is happening. I so badly want to see that.

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necronOne

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scariest game ever! << LINK REMOVED >>

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Kyelo

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I am shocked that there is going to be a sequel to a hugely successful game that was wholeheartedly called 'the game of the generation'. Pigs will fly...

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SaturatedButter

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Considering a lot of the fans of said game think it's well enough to stand on its own, it is kind of surprising. There's a lot of great films that don't have sequels. Why can't there be great games without sequels? Could you imagine if they wanted to make a sequel to Shawshank Redemption just because it's considered one of the greatest films ever made?

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Kyelo

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> ...because money lol

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ArabrockermanX

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Sequel to a well received game? Who would have ever seen that one coming...

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deactivated-5c0b07b32bf03

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knew the sequel was coming, eventually; still felt like squealing like a giddy schoolgirl upon reading this article.

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SaturatedButter

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I hope they leave the Joel/Ellie story alone. I'm fine with an indirect sequel that just takes place in the same world, but those particular characters are best left alone.

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Kyelo

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Maybe Ellie grown up a bit?

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yngsten

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >>

It's better with new people in a different area if they need to do a sequel in my opinion. I loved the first one so if done right, I'll probably love this one too.

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SaturatedButter

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People at Gamespot may want to look up the definition of "inadvertently". This guy wrote "The Last of Us 2" in his public online resume. How is that an accident?

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Spartan-1657

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Would be pretty awesome to be an earlier timeline as different characters. Then at the end, get murdered by Joel and his group. It would be bittersweet.

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PeterDuck

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busted

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xwulfd

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I want a prequel with connected to the uncharted series

its about doughnut drake becomes a bloater at the end

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ShinraE5

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You mean they are doing a sequel to one of the highest rated and best selling exclusives of all time?

SHOCKED

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NoSoul81

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<< LINK REMOVED >> It makes sense from a money standpoint but not really storywise. Of course they can always go the route of bringing in completely new characters but it'll be tough to beat Joel and Ellie.

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SaturatedButter

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> GTA does it every game. It's really not that hard. It doesn't have to be "better" than Joel and Ellie. Just different. Different character that are great in their own way.

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yngsten

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >>

Indeed.

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ArabrockermanX

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> You say that like stories are hard to manipulate... Publishers usually say F leaving a good story alone in favor of money...

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yamilvirginio

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I really hope they stay away from joel and ellie story the DLC was so bad compare to how amazing the game is. The whole ellie is now a lesbian because we wan't to be progressive and hipsters was really cliche.

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NoSoul81

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Heh Gamespot game the DLC PS3 game of the year.

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Norwegian38

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hoping for a prequel

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