The Last of Us Part II remastered edition was recently released for the PlayStation 5, and a revealing commentary track from Naughty Dog Head of Creative and the game's executive producer Neil Druckmann is included in the special features.
Druckmann shares some very interesting details over the course of the track, including the fact that the game was originally going to end very differently.
If you haven't played The Last of Us Part II yet, major spoilers follow.
As the story approaches its conclusion, a vengeance-fuelled Ellie tracks Abby and Lev to the base of a ruthless gang of scavengers who have been keeping them as slaves. Abby is emaciated and near death, but Ellie - unable to let Abby's murder of Joel go - forces her adversary into one last fight by holding a blade to the helpless Lev's throat.
Ellie ultimately manages to overpower Abby, and is just about to finish her off by drowning her beneath the waves when she has a change of heart and allows her to leave with Lev. However, Druckmann reveals that the story was going to end with Ellie finishing Abby off, with Lev having already been killed at an earlier point in the game (presumably with his sister, Yara).
The game is far from a cheery experience, anyway, but this would have taken things to a whole new level of bleakness! We'd have to agree with co-writer Halley Gross here, as Ellie killing Abby would have cost her the small amount of humanity she had left and completely altered whatever plans are (presumably) in place for a third game.
"The Last of Us Part II takes place five years after the events of the first game and nearly 25 years after the outbreak of the Cordyceps brain infection began. Ellie, who is now 19 years old, returns as the protagonist whom players assume control of. Joel, in his mid-fifties, also returns as a briefly playable character, as does Abby Anderson, who functions as the game's dual protagonist.
Joel and Ellie, having settled down in Tommy's settlement, live in relative peace within the thriving community. While there, Ellie has even managed to form friendships with Dina and Jesse. However, the survivors face constant threats from infected and other hostile survivors.
When a tragic event disrupts the tranquility of her life, a hate filled Ellie embarks on a journey to Seattle in a search for vengeance to carry out justice. As she hunts down those responsible one by one, she is confronted with the traumatizing physical and emotional consequences of her actions."