"That Looks Like It's Right Out of the Game" – The Last of Us Devs On the Upcoming HBO Show

On August 21, HBO unveiled footage of the upcoming The Last of Us series made by Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin and the game's creator Neil Druckmann. The show will debut at the beginning of 2023 bringing new versions of fan-favorite characters Joel and Ellie played by Game of Thrones stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

In the run-up to the launch of the HBO series, The Last of Us developers Shaun Escayg and Matthew Gallant discussed the upcoming adaptation, explained why they think the game series became so popular, and spoke about the authenticity of the teaser footage.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, speaking about emotions that aroused after watching the first footage of HBO's TV adaptation, Escayg said that it was like "lightning in a bottle" – the same feeling that he had when he worked on the game.

The developer shared that he was glad to know that this story, which was created almost ten years ago, "is crossing mediums and expanding" giving the opportunity to draw the attention of new audiences as well as let people who are familiar with the game relive this story once again.

Gallant, who worked on the original as a game designer and was a director of The Last of Us remake, also was impressed by the new footage.

"It gave me goosebumps to watch the [HBO] trailer, as little footage as that was," he said. "I felt like I was wanting to watch it over and over again, and catch all the little details."

The hype around the HBO show most certainly derives from the game itself as it provokes a range of emotions – the reason why most players love The Last of Us games. Gallant explained that the emotional beats of the game are the result of the game's concept to make everything in the game – not just cut scenes – tell the story of Joel and Ellie. This concept allowed the developers to immerse players into the game's world and fall in love with it and its characters.

"Bruce [Straley] and Neil [Druckmann] had a vision. We're not gonna do the thing that every other video game was doing in 2012: You do a bunch of fighting, and then you watch a movie, and then you do a bunch of fighting, and then you watch a movie," Gallant explained. "Yeah, there's gonna be cinematics. You're gonna watch a scene play out with these characters interacting, but then you're gonna go back into gameplay and you're also gonna be getting the story there."

Both developers shared that they were struck by the trailer's authenticity and really appreciated the detailed approach the creators of the HBO show had. 

"They really, really care about the art direction. That two-second clip of the infected embedded in the wall. That looks like it's right out of the game. The way the characters' outfits look. The way certain lines are delivered in that trailer," Gallant said. "This looks like it's just gonna be so authentic to the original games. And as someone who loves the original games, I'm so excited to see that being explored in a different medium."

You can find the original interview with Shaun Escayg and Matthew Gallant here. Also, don't forget to join our Reddit page and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.