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The Last of Us 2 Was Prototyped But Naughty Dog Focused on Uncharted 4 For Now

Sequel isn't actively in development, but studio may return to it--and other ideas--in the future.

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Naughty Dog's creative director, Neil Druckmann, has said although a prototype for The Last of Us 2 was made, the sequel is not currently in development at the studio.

Speaking to Official PlayStation Magazine UK, Druckmann addressed recent statements from voice actor Nolan North, who stated The Last of Us 2 was in development.

"I can say that was kind of a surprise for us for him to say that," Druckmann said. "I was like 'Oh he knows more than we know [about] what we're doing next.' We joked about it afterwards during shoots and stuff."

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According to North, who voices Nathan Drake in Naughty Dog's Uncharted series and David in The Last of Us, the sequel was in development alongside Uncharted 4, but this does not seem to be the case.

Instead, the studio prototyped it--along with a number of other ideas--before ultimately being pulled into the Uncharted 4 development project and dedicating itself to that.

"When Bruce (Straley, co-director) and I moved over to Uncharted 4, we were brainstorming ideas for The Last of Us 2 with characters; ideas for TLOU 2 with Joel and Ellie; ideas for a sci-fi game; ideas for a fantasy game, and building prototypes for each one of those ideas," he explained.

"And just as we were getting close to settling or narrowing that list down, we were asked to work on Uncharted 4."

On the subject of returning to those prototypes, Druckmann said there's "a part of me that's really looking forward to going back to those things," but added that he has "no cycles left in my mind even to be thinking about that right now.

"So, I guess [Nolan North] was kind of right in that we were working on stuff, but we don't know what we're doing next and we won't know until probably a few months after we finish Uncharted 4."

In March 2015, Sony delayed the released date for Uncharted 4 to spring 2016. Druckmann and Straley, said the delay was necessary to ensure the PlayStation 4 game matches the high expectations from fans.

Sony has revealed the multiplayer beta for Uncharted 4 will launch on December 4.

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LTJohnnyRico

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Noooooo Articles like this only bring out the TinFoil Hat brigade !!

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LouiXIII

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Naughty Dog isn't fooling anyone. Uncharted 4 is already done. They're adding polish at this point. Trust me...they ARE working on TLOU 2 and I bet you it get's a fall 2017 release date to counter 343's next Halo game. On a side note, I predict we see Killzone 4 footage E3 2017 with a 2018 release as well. As for another Jak&Daxter title...I doubt we see one but if we do...its years down the line

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deon99

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@louixiii said:

Naughty Dog isn't fooling anyone. Uncharted 4 is already done. They're adding polish at this point. Trust me...they ARE working on TLOU 2 and I bet you it get's a fall 2017 release date to counter 343's next Halo game. On a side note, I predict we see Killzone 4 footage E3 2017 with a 2018 release as well. As for another Jak&Daxter title...I doubt we see one but if we do...its years down the line

You think the will go from a game in prototype to a full fledged game in two years?And who said the next Halo was coming in 2017?Your talking crazy right now.

And another Killzone so soon makes no sense, especially since they are trying to get their new Ip launched successfully.I think you are expecting way to much from these studious. games take time to make and them rushing a broken game out to compete and lose to the next Halo would make no sense.especially since they are two totally different genres.That would be like rushing a Zelda game out to compete with Forza Horizon three.

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LouiXIII

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Edited By LouiXIII

@deon99: See, unlike you..I don't believe everything I'm told. I believe that development on the sequel started years ago. To cover up the fact that it even exist, they released false info to throw us off so that it has more of an impact on the market when it's released. As for Killzone 4, this too has been in development for a little while but it's a long ways off, but I do believe we'll see it by 2018.

Back to Naughty Dog and TLOU2...the worse case scenario is that the game will get pushed to 2018, but it will be out between fall 2017-fall 2018. I'd bet my Infiniti on it.

Matter of fact, study release dates.

Uncharted - 2007

Uncharted 2 - 2009

Uncharted 3 - 2011

See a pattern?

Now tell me I don't know what I'm talking about...because from where I'm standing, you're the crazy sounding one lol

Numbers don't lie dude. It doesn't take a dedicated studio 10+ or even 5+years to dev a game anymore. Those days are in the past. And now that Naughty Dog is bigger than ever, they have a separate team working on TLOU2, but it's still being overseen by Neil.

P.S. KZ:SF was released fall 2013...right? Horizon is being released in 2016...right? Do you really think Guerrilla decided to start development on Horizon after KZ:SF was released? They we're in the works at the same time. Now that Shadow Fall is done, what do you think the rest of the studio has been up to (aside from that cheap looking VR game)? You guessed it...Killzone 4.

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deon99

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@louixiii said:

@deon99: See, unlike you..I don't believe everything I'm told. I believe that development on the sequel started years ago. To cover up the fact that it even exist, they released false info to throw us off so that it has more of an impact on the market when it's released. As for Killzone 4, this too has been in development for a little while but it's a long ways off, but I do believe we'll see it by 2018.

Back to Naughty Dog and TLOU2...the worse case scenario is that the game will get pushed to 2018, but it will be out between fall 2017-fall 2018. I'd bet my Infiniti on it.

Matter of fact, study release dates.

Uncharted - 2007

Uncharted 2 - 2009

Uncharted 3 - 2011

See a pattern?

Now tell me I don't know what I'm talking about...because from where I'm standing, you're the crazy sounding one lol

Numbers don't lie dude. It doesn't take a dedicated studio 10+ or even 5+years to dev a game anymore. Those days are in the past. And now that Naughty Dog is bigger than ever, they have a separate team working on TLOU2, but it's still being overseen by Neil.

P.S. KZ:SF was released fall 2013...right? Horizon is being released in 2016...right? Do you really think Guerrilla decided to start development on Horizon after KZ:SF was released? They we're in the works at the same time. Now that Shadow Fall is done, what do you think the rest of the studio has been up to (aside from that cheap looking VR game)? You guessed it...Killzone 4.

The most the second team does is concept work, all the real talent of the studio and the people who made first game are all focused on Uncharted.If they decide to make another last of us then it will be years away.Naughty dog isn't a massive studio to work on two games at the same time or the Uncharted collection would have been done in house.

As far and Guerrilla goes, they are also not a massive team.They aren't small but they also aren't the size of Ubisoft.They are focusing on new ip right now and to be honest i think Killzone is setting up for it's last run, and they will won't to focus fully on that when they get going on it.The earliest we see that is 2019.

The whole cycle of games you mentioned is what it was like last gen after they had a few games under their belt, and with all the new power and tech going into games now, they are taking longer to makes games.Look at the uncharted delay.There is no way these games drop when you think.

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LouiXIII

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Edited By LouiXIII

@deon99: First off, why are you coupling your response with mines. It's makes it sound like I'm bi-polar or something. Second, teams are split to do more than just concept work lol Who ever you're getting your info from is wrong. For example, Guerrilla showed off 2 games at this years E3. Horizon and the VR game. If what you say is true, then only one game would have been showcased. Back to Naughty Dog...

They have a pretty big team. It also helps that each member is extremely talented. Working on 2 projects shouldn't be a issue especially with all of the revenue they brought in over the years. Also, the reason why The Nathan Drake collection was outsourced is because both teams are working on finishing U4 and developing TLOU2 so it makes sense.

And in regards to the cycle...Uncharted was their first game for the PS3, so what other games did they have under their belt prior to Uncharted? Keep in mind that the PS3's architecture was a bi%ch to develop on. Even so, they released sequels every 2 years. U4 will be their first game created from the ground up on the PS4, so if history repeats itself, Naughty Dog's next game will release around 2018 which I'm sure will be TLOU2.

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Kuhlio13

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Anyone who actually believes this crap needs to get a clue. First off, this interview was awhile ago.I don't know why you're just now writing about it. Second, ND has already stated that they are working on 2 projects. They also said they weren't working on Uncharted 4 at one point when in reality....it was already in development for 8 months.

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Eloguvna

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Hmm that's good then, that they're not working on multiple projects at once. Just focus on making Uncharted 4 a great game that can deliver, and then you can do whatever else, like TLOU2 or even a new Jak game.

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Kuhlio13

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@eloguvna: They are working on 2 projects......and that's a good thing.

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yukushi

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They could make a pre sequel and call it the first of us.

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deon99

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@yukushi said:

They could make a pre sequel and call it the first of us.

or they could leave the masterpiece alone.

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LTJohnnyRico

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@deon99: The None of us?

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lukaskus

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@yukushi: please don't :D

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NbAlIvEr10000

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I say at the end of Uncharted 4 when everything is all good and done with, have some scene where a clicker just shows up and then cuts to black improvising a TLoU2.....since in Uncharted 3 at the beginning in the bar where you can see a newspaper clipping hinting at a outbreak of sorts...so not far off to assume that Uncharted takes place in the same universe, but perhaps months before.

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Sevenstorms

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Edited By Sevenstorms

Naughty Dog you guys need to start developing The Last of Us 2 ASAP after Uncharted 4 !

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Kuhlio13

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Edited By Kuhlio13

@Sevenstorms: It's already in development. Don't believe the lies.

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omotih

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u never can go wrong with content by mixing violence and padophilia ... go naughty dog !

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mogan

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mogan  Moderator  Online

So long as they call it The Rest of Us. : p

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cgobeil

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@Mogan: Lol.

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RazeAndJadith

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Edited By RazeAndJadith

I vote fantasy game easily.

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Gixzr

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UNCHARTED FOR XB1 !

XB will give Halo to PS, then PS give XB UnCharted....play nice :P

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lukaskus

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@Gixzr: Halo? hmmm, what about Forza?

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mogan

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Edited By mogan  Moderator  Online

@Gixzr: And then put them all on PC!

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RazeAndJadith

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@Mogan: Agreed, exclusives are anti-consumer. Developing for open platforms is easily the best option of any.

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AM-Gamer

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@razeandjadith: Perhaps you don't realize the purpose of a exclusive.

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mogan

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Edited By mogan  Moderator  Online

@razeandjadith: I don't know about that. I used to agree, but competition drives improvement, and now I'm old enough that I don't have to choose between multiple systems I want; I can just get both.

But Halo would look pretty sweet on the PC. : p

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PlaystationZone

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@Gixzr: you wish not going happen if want uncharted get ps4

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RedCarnivalRed

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But David would have no part in the sequel... He's dead

Stupid Nolan North

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rawkstar007

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@redcarnivalred: Do we REALLY know he's dead? We didn't actually see it. Ellie could have just been taking a machete to a giant bottle of ketchup placed conveniently above his head for all we know. They were in a restaurant, after all!

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RedCarnivalRed

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@rawkstar007: I'm fairly sure a machete to the head is fatal but that twist would be the worst. That resutruant scene scared me more than stalkers did

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rawkstar007

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@redcarnivalred: If they did a twist like that just to bring Nolan North back in as David, I would need to put some time aside to LMAO.

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RedCarnivalRed

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@rawkstar007: Same ^^

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JesusCondom

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If the TLOU 2 comes to life, better call it The Last of Us : The Second Masterpiece. Its a shame people without a PS3/PS4 can't experience this (or the old one).

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deactivated-58bd60b980002

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@jesuscondom: I still haven't finished it once even though I played it on PS3 and I had it for free on PS4

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JesusCondom

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@Coco_pierrot: You should finish it. It's a damn good game. One of the best single-player experience off all time in my opinion.

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Tiwill44

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Uncharted was fun, but TLOU tried way too hard to be a movie. I wish Naughty Dog would go back to making pure video games again. They are wasting their potential here, trying to do both at the same time.

It's such a shame, too. The PS4 deserved better than a sea of interactive movies, enhanced ports, pretentious indie games and Knack.

We could have prevented this. Naughty Dog could have prevented this. Media Molecule could have prevented this. Sony could have prevented this. But they didn't. This is the future they chose and I want no part of it.

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Kuhlio13

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Edited By Kuhlio13

@Tiwill44: TLoU was the best game ever released. This is coming from a huge Uncharted fan.

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Tiwill44

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@Kuhlio13: I can see why you would think that, but I don't think we like Uncharted for the same reasons.

I feel like Uncharted is a series that tries to convey the feeling of actually being the hero of an action movie, while TLOU tries to make you feel like you're watching a movie, but... while also being a game.

It's a different approach and whether you prefer one or the other is very subjective. I prefer the former though.

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Kuhlio13

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@Tiwill44: Well, to each their own I guess.

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NbAlIvEr10000

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@Tiwill44: That's how it should have been. The Last of Us was amazing the way it was, great strategic gameplay too. It was all about the story and making a game that seemed like a movie was the best way to go; which is why I'm a little upset they are even thinking about doing a movie about the game.

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Spiderjensen

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@Tiwill44: The last of us had great game play complemented with great cutscenes. Best of both worlds.

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whatsazerg

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LOL... nice try Naughty Dog.... but your own employee spilled the beans during a Uncharted Collection interview.

NO use in denying it now.

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Kuhlio13

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@whatsazerg: Exactly. This was an old interview anyway.

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The_Crap_Of_Us

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Just call it Last of Us 2: The Video Game, That way it can be something that the first game never was, a video game of course.

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onehitta323

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Edited By onehitta323

@the_crap_of_us: Pretty sure you never played it at all. One of the best games of all time. Definitely not a.movie. don't know where people are getting that from. Gameplay, graphics, and story were great to me

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mogan

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@the_crap_of_us: There must have been something wrong with your copy; The Last of Us I played was one of the best video games of the last console generation.

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Hardcoreehb

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@the_crap_of_us:I don't mean to encourage the troll but I can't help but lough. I keep imagining someone going through all the trouble of creating a profile just to troll a single game. Precious! Reminds of Dr. House.

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gotrekfabian

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@the_crap_of_us: It seems to me that you created your profile in order just to troll these topics. If you thought that TLOU had no gameplay then you have no idea about gaming. I suggest you leave video games alone permanently if you can't see the quality of game that TLOU was and that is even if you didn't like it. Only gaming imbeciles say that a game is poor just because they don't like it.

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bluefox755

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@the_crap_of_us: You sound bitter. Must make you salty knowing it has won more GAME of the Year Awards than any game in history....

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virtuaSEGA

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@the_crap_of_us: I played it, pretty sure it was a video game, also pretty sure you didn't play it.

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