If you’re one of those gaming sleuths that pours over every bit of pre-release information to know more about upcoming releases, there’s some important information to know about The Last of Us Part 2. According to Naughty Dog, the footage shown in the first trailer released isn’t in the game at all. It was created specifically for the trailer.
This information comes from Neil Druckmann, director on The Last of Us Part 2. In the above video at around the 7:40 mark, Druckmann confirms to the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences that the first trailer was just made “purely as an announcement.”
“It’s not a scene that takes place in the game,” Druckmann said in the interview. However, Druckmann does confirm the second trailer IS a scene from The Last of Us Part 2. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for fans of Naughty Dog. The developer has been known to use footage that doesn’t appear in-game to keep fans guessing.
“We purposely deceived [players] with certain trailers," Druckmann said in an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine about the trailer for the first The Last of Us (we reported about this back in October). "[The] shot where Joel’s on the floor and he looks kind of sick and he turns up. That shot was made just for the trailer. Just to make it look like he’s infected or there’s something wrong with him, and then it’s juxtaposed with a shot of Ellie holding a gun, so everyone’s like ‘Oh my God, Joel’s going to turn and Ellie’s going to have to shoot him at the end!’ That was constructed in such a way so that people would guess that and think that that’s the obvious ending, and then we could turn it on them.”
That’s not to say everything included in the trailer won’t make it to the final product. Ellie and Joel, the main protagonists from the first The Last of Us will return for the sequel. With the confirmation the second trailer is a scene from the game, we also know more about the side characters Joel and Ellie will help (or end up fighting). Druckmann has confirmed that these new characters will be “integral” to the story.
The Last of Us Part 2 has no release information as of right now, not even a vague “2018” or “2019.” We do know the game will eventually release for the PS4, however.
So what do you think? Are you excited to learn more about The Last of Us Part 2? Will you continue to watch Naughty Dog trailers knowing they could be intentionally misleading? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
