The Last of Us Co-Creator Bruce Straley Talks Video Games Adaptations

In a recent interview, The Last of Us co-creator Bruce Straley shared that he doesn't "fully endorse" video games adaptations including the upcoming The Last of Us TV series.

The current trend of adapting video games bringing them on big screens or releasing them in a form of TV series seems to be quite a debatable point. Some may enjoy it being pleased by seeing their beloved characters beyond the video games realm, while some are apparently against it.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, co-creator of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Bruce Straley revealed that he doesn't "fully endorse" Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin's adaptation of The Last of Us that is set to air on HBO along with other video games adaptations.

Speaking of video games adaptations in general, Straley shared that, like many other developers, he used to dream of seeing the film adaptations of games, but over time his opinion on this matter has changed. "Our industry has proven its value and doesn’t need other mediums to validate us," he said. "I don’t have a problem with adaptations. But in my – and I think all of our – experience, something always falls short with the execution."

Straley went on to explain the difference between writing for games and for TV. He shared that when creating The Last of Us, for instance, he sought to make as many plot points interactive as possible, instead of putting them in cutscenes. Straley emphasized that this approach enabled the team to reach a "significantly more impactful experience" than any TV show or film could deliver. "So we have to ask, what makes a game great? And will an adaptation add to the core experience or diminish it?" Straley wondered.

The first season of The Last of Us TV series is expected to debut in 2023. It will be the first HBO series to be based on a video game and is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, The Mighty Mint, and Word Games.

You can find the original interview with Bruce Straley here. Also, don't forget to join our new Reddit pageour new Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are sharing breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.

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