In its ultimate episode, HBO’s The Final of Us went deeper into a personality who was left unexplored within the unique online game: Ellie’s mother, Anna. Nonetheless, her scenes had been solely a small a part of the present, leaving loads of unanswered questions — questions that might have been answered in a prequel sport that The Final of Us artistic director Neil Druckmann stated was briefly within the works.
Druckmann told video game podcast Kinda Funny that he needed to jot down Anna’s fuller backstory right into a online game to be developed exterior of Naughty Canine, however it simply didn’t pan out. Druckmann stated he talked to the unnamed studio for “fairly some time” earlier than the talks fell aside.
[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for the ninth episode of The Last of Us.]
There’s a variety of materials there to work with, given how little of Anna’s story is printed. Within the present, we see her pregnant and working via the woods, chased by an contaminated particular person. She hides out in a run-down home the place she realizes she’s in energetic labor: a harrowing expertise of bringing life into such violence. She’s bitten shortly earlier than she offers start to Ellie, reducing the umbilical wire quickly after — presumably the rationale that Ellie’s immune.
That’s when Marlene is available in, moments too late, and agrees to take the child. A prequel online game may have explored every little thing main as much as these moments.
Whereas Druckmann didn’t write the thought off totally, it feels unlikely to occur. Naughty Canine is at work on an unannounced sport, which he additionally shared on the Kinda Humorous Spoilercast. Druckmann didn’t share what the sport is, regardless of saying he is aware of followers need The Final of Us: Half 3.
“We’re already into our subsequent undertaking, so the choice has already been made,” Druckmann stated. “I can’t say what it’s, however […] there was a variety of consideration of various issues, and we picked the factor we had been most excited for.”
Forward of that, Naughty Canine can also be gearing as much as present its The Final of Us multiplayer undertaking, stated to be due for a reveal this yr.