We asked the Dogs for their personal games of the year, and the Kennel had a wide range of picks across all genres. While there were so many wonderful games to choose from, we wanted to highlight a few of Naughty Dog’s favorites this year; maybe we can convince you to check out a new game this holiday season. Until next year!

1000xResist, Sunset Visitor

Matthew Gallant, Game Director

1000xResist is the most striking narrative game I played this year. It uses a unique sci-fi setting (featuring giant alien visitors and a repressive underground clone society) to tell a heartfelt family story of generational inheritance and diaspora. It also reflects on feelings of isolation and alienation we all experienced through the global pandemic. The developers at Sunset Visitor have a background in theatre and visual arts, a fact that comes through in their bold art direction, beautiful music, and superb dialogue.

Anthology of the Killer, Thecatamites

Josh Reyes, Tester/Development Support

I love narrative games and atmospheric games, especially when they’re character-driven and experimental in nature. Imagine my delight upon playing the surreal comedy horror game Anthology of the Killer! With a charming low-fi art style that looks like it was created in an old ‘90s paint program, and a dialogue style that is strange and witty but also grounded and human, it feels like discovering a hidden gem in the form of a zine found in a cardboard box in the back of an old record store. I know a game is special when I don’t want to leave behind the world or the characters and I continue to think about them long after I’m done playing.

Astro Bot, Team Asobi

Matteo Potenza, System Administrator

This one is easy. Astro Bot is such a relentlessly joyful and fun game that was the first PlayStation game our ten-year-old son really engaged with. It reminds me of some of the quirkier, more colorful and playful entries I grew up on in the PS1 days. It's an immaculate platformer that lit up our living room for weeks on end. Even when I wasn't playing, I would often stop to marvel at what was on screen, and of course enjoyed the music pumping through my house. Admittedly, our son played it much more than I, but that passing of the torch itself was emotionally resonant. It brought me such joy to see him playing Astro Bot the way I played games when I was his age in the ‘90s! I can't help but applaud Team Asobi for this tremendous achievement, which not only shines on its own but also serves as such a celebration of 30 years of PlayStation and it's rich and vibrant history!

Balatro, LocalThunk

Derrick Pemberton, Game Designer

Send help! Since Balatro was released in late February, Jimbo the Joker has had me held captive. This is not entirely a complaint, however, since Balatro is easily my favorite game this year. Deceptively simple on the surface, Balatro contains countless strategies and discoveries. Every run of this poker-inspired, deck-building roguelike reveals new jokers, booster packs, card upgrades, and combinations of all the above.

In my mind, the essence of Balatro lies in this moment: I have one final hand of a brutal boss blind. I could succeed, but I’m not quite confident. I play the hand. Suddenly, time slows as I’m hypnotized by dancing cards and tranquil music in the dreamy void of uncertainty. Will I hit it big? The chips and multipliers tick up and up while the flames around their values glow bigger and brighter. “So close, but not this time,” laughs Jimbo. “Well…just one more run couldn’t hurt. “

Core Keeper, Pugstorm

Victoria Law, Technical Artist

Core Keeper is my favorite game for 2024. Gameplay focuses on exploring through procedurally generated worlds and various combat styles via skill trees and equipment types. The multiplayer aspect is enjoyable and creates a great opportunity for sharing fun gaming moments with friends. The customization is also very in-depth for a game of its size, and between the visual cosmetics, sandbox building, and character classing, the player gets a huge sense of agency over their playthrough experience. With all these core elements—along with steady updates from the dev team—I welcome many more future playthroughs.

Crypt Custodian, Kyle Thompson

Brian Sanders, Digital Asset and Accounts Specialist

A cozy yet challenging Metroidvania where you play as a cat forced to be the afterlife's janitor - that premise, combined with charming art and music, adds up to a very enjoyable experience. The cute charm of Crypt Custodian offers a well-polished challenge with traversal puzzles and unique bosses. The game balances difficulty without feeling punishing (besides the whole janitor forever thing). Meanwhile, the map is massive, with a wide variety of biomes. That are worth revisiting as you improve your skills and traversal. It was a joy seeing the afterlife grow around me as I made more friends, and uncovering memories and lore rounded out the experience nicely. The creators put such care into the player experience and included some lovely accessibility features and speed runner mode, allowing players to curate their game experience (I used increased puzzle timer assistance). I would highly recommend Crypt Custodian to anyone wanting to spend time sweeping up.

Dragon Age: Veilguard, BioWare

Mariah Clawson-Simons, Producer

I've been waiting TEN YEARS to get my revenge on the Dread Wolf and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Dragon Age has always been a franchise I've admired for its bravery and elven-god-tier level of storytelling that has inspired me in ways no other games have. BioWare really knows how to make us feel like heroes and I'm so happy to put this one on my shelf this year!! <3

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Square Enix

Jared Miller, Programmer

A beautiful game, an incredible soundtrack, and 15+ minigames in a package that managed not only to replicate but to elevate a game that seemed impossible to do justice to in the modern era. The developers were not satisfied with doing “just enough,” and met every challenge with a scope and scale that I never expected the remakes to hit.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, MachineGames

Scott Mattes, Tester/Development Support

MachineGames releases might be few and far between, but they never disappoint. From the diegetic main menu screen to the shot-for-shot Raiders of the Lost Ark intro, to awarding adventure points for photographing stray cats…This game is full of surprises, and I haven’t been able to put it down since it released.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Simogo

Thomas Barrett, Senior Dialogue Coordinator

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes One of my favorite puzzle games I've ever played! An absolute ideal game for late-night, moody puzzle vibes. Everything about this game from the art direction, puzzle design, to the soundscape is just wonderfully executed. I've never quite interacted with a game like this before. I would take time to explore the game world and when I came across a puzzle, I would set my controller down and start scrawling out notes, which to an outside observer made it look like I was losing it. I absolutely love this game, it's my new Outer Wilds (aka it's the game I won't stop recommending to people).

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Ubisoft

Yang Liu, Cinematic Lighting Artist

The newest Prince of Persia strikes a beautiful balance between stylish, anime-inspired combat and beautifully crafted vertical levels. And one of my favorite under sung elements of it is how stunning the lighting and visuals are. The clever use of negative space gives the world an incredible sense of depth, expanding the visuals beyond the gameplay without ever feeling distracting. I love the adjustable difficulty settings; it’s great to tweak things when a boss fight feels overwhelming, but the tricky level design keeps the game rewarding. There’s a real joy in failing a tough jump over and over, knowing the designers probably had fun imagining my struggle. It brought back so many childhood memories of playing classic platformers and loving every moment. This game is a wonderful mix of nostalgia and fresh ideas, making it one of my favorite gaming experiences this year.

Satisfactory, Coffee Stain Studios

Rica Feng, UI Technical Designer

My favorite game released this year is Satisfactory! I found the core loop of researching, building, automating, and delivering items to be incredibly engaging. What most impressed me, however, was how committed Satisfactory is to immersing the player in its world. Nearly every mechanic and feature in this game is contextualized within the setting. Instead of tutorials being given through non-diegetic notifications, tutorials and the occasional "encouragement" are spoken to you by a sarcastic AI companion. Researching new technologies is presented in a much more interesting way that involves finding hard drives and alien artifacts. Instead of playing as a non-descript avatar, you are instead a FICSIT employee supposedly given an extremely important mission that could impact humanity at large (or so you've been told). I also really like the UI, which is both functional and easy to use. There's a lot of little aesthetic things to appreciate, like the switches you pull or flip for certain actions, or the locked panels on some buildings that unlock when you research the right technology. Since Satisfactory also offers multiplayer, different world starts, alternate recipes, and seasonal events, playing the game again offers just as much excitement as when I first started. About 250 hours ago to be exact.

Until Then, Polychroma Games

J Dietrich, Accessibility QA Tester/Development Support

A beautiful story about the different types of grief, and how it affects us and those around us, set in a fictional version of the Philippines. Until Then offers stunning visuals, with well- executed pixel art that pulls you in and doesn't let you go. The story hits right where it's supposed to in your mind and heart and had me crying on many occasions. A slow build up in the lives of people that are inextricably tied to one another through tragedy and hope.

We’re back! You have been dying to know what’s next for us, and I’m thrilled to finally be able to answer: Naughty Dog’s next game is Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, currently in development for the PlayStation 5 console. We’ve been working on this brand-new adventure since 2020! This game is shaping up to be our wildest, most creative story yet. If you haven’t already, check out the announcement trailer:

Intergalactic stars our newest protagonist, Jordan A. Mun, a dangerous bounty hunter who ends up stranded on Sempiria – a distant planet whose communication with the outside universe went dark hundreds of years ago. In fact, anyone who’s flown to it hoping to unravel its mysterious past was never heard from again. Jordan will have to use all her skills and wits if she hopes to be the first person in over 600 years to leave its orbit.

Beyond that, we’re keeping everything about the story under wraps – at least for now. What we can tell you is that this game lives up to the Naughty Dog tradition of creating an emotional, character-driven epic journey. Our narrative goals are rivaled only by our gameplay ambitions. This will be the deepest gameplay in Naughty Dog’s history, taking our learnings from our previous franchises and pushing them beyond anything we’ve ever done before.

Jordan is played by the talented Tati Gabrielle, who leads a stellar cast (pun intended!). Eagle-eyed players might spot some of the other cast members in the trailer. We’ll reveal more of our ensemble down the line.

Our incredible voyage into the cosmos also needs an equally incredible soundtrack. As tremendous fans of their work, I’m excited to announce our collaboration with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross who’ll be scoring Intergalactic! The guys are cooking, and the trailer is just a small tease of their work for the game.

We know you’re eager for more – and trust us, we’re very eager to share more with you. For now, though, it’s time to put our heads back down and keep cranking away on Jordan’s adventure.

On behalf of the entire team at Naughty Dog, thank you to all our fans! Your support allows us to work on our dream games, bringing these wonderful new worlds and characters to life. We can’t wait to show you more!

See you on the other side,

Neil Druckmann

Naughty Dog Studio Head

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Wallpapers

Originally released for the PlayStation 5 console earlier this year, Part II Remastered allows players to continue the acclaimed story of The Last of Us with a definitive version featuring the award-winning campaign, new modes, improved quality, and more. But before we dive into how that experience is making the jump to PC be sure to watch our announcement trailer below.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is designed to let players who have never experienced this story to do so in the best way possible, while also offering those replaying the story to deepen their appreciation for its creation, mechanics, and all the incredible work done by our team at Naughty Dog.

“We’re all thrilled to bring The Last of Us Part II to the PC audience, including all the great new features we added in the Remastered version for PS5,” The Last of Us Part II Remastered Game Director Matthew Gallant said. “We hope players enjoy the captivating story, rich combat mechanics, extensive behind-the-scenes commentary, and test their skills in the roguelike mode No Return. We’re working hard to ensure that the game feels great on this new platform, and has the high performance and robust features that PC players expect.”

Part II Remastered for PC, made along with our development partners at Nixxes Software and Iron Galaxy Studios, features the award-winning campaign focused on Ellie and Abby’s thrilling journeys, and brings with it all the new features the PS5 version introduced. That includes our thrilling and fan-favorite No Return roguelike mode, a series of levels left on the cutting room floor featuring developer commentary called the Lost Levels, a Guitar Free Play mode, and more. You can read about these in our original deep dive about Part II Remastered features to learn more, but we can’t wait for a whole new set of players to experience these offerings.

We’re also proud to confirm Part II Remastered will be newly optimized and enhanced for PC. The teams at Nixxes and Iron Galaxy have been hard at work in concert with Naughty Dog to ensure The Last of Us Part II Remastered is a thrill for PC players from the jump. We’ll be delving further into the PC-specific features and specs as we get closer to launch.

“We are honored and excited to be working closely together with Naughty Dog and Iron Galaxy on bringing The Last of Us Part II Remastered to PC. Our highly skilled and motivated team is working hard to make sure players have a great experience on PC. We're combining our experience, in-house technology, and passion for this game series to deliver a scalable and high-performance port that players expect from us,” Coen Frauenfelder, PC Product Director at Nixxes, said.

Ahead of its launch, you can wishlist The Last of Us Part II Remastered on both Epic and Steam:

Steam Wishlist Link

Epic Games Store Wishlist link

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is intended to be the definitive way to play a game that has meant so much to our studio and to so many players as well. We are so excited to offer this adventure for the first time on a new platform and bring Ellie and Abby’s emotional, unforgettable adventure to a new audience (and to those of you wanting to experience it again as well!).

While we’re excited to share more with you in the months ahead of launch, if you haven’t already, be sure to play The Last of Us Part I on PC, available via Steam and the Epic Games Store, and catch up on the story before Part II Remastered arrives.

In previous Photo Mode challenges, fans submitted incredible photos that highlighted the new features of The Last of Us Part II Remastered, the terrifying Infected you face throughout the series, breathtaking environments found across The Last of Us games, and the unforgettable characters introduced since the Outbreak first occurred. We loved seeing all the awesome Photo Mode images you captured for this No Return challenge, and it was extremely difficult to narrow it down to the images that we ultimately decided to showcase. Check them out below!

The featured images were submitted by:

@NickVPgamer, @tlouluvrr, @Druig_ru, @UkkoVP, @FrameCaptureVP, @tlouphotographer, @shadow_I1, @raysofvp, and @GSmind89

Don’t forget to read our blog post that shares what we’re doing to celebrate the franchise for TLOU Day this year. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and now TikTok to stay up to date with Naughty Dog news and to see more Photo Mode shots - we feature a fan-submitted piece every Monday sent through this link.

If you haven’t gotten your hands on No Return, The Last of Us Part II Remastered is now available on PlayStation 5. Players who purchased The Last of Us Part II on PlayStation 4 can upgrade to The Last of Us Part II Remastered for $10 USD. For more information on how to upgrade, visit the PlayStation Store. For more info on what The Last of Us Part II Remastered offers, check out our blog that dives deep into the game’s features.

*By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode and @Naughty_Dog, you give SIE permission to share your content on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

We’ve been so overjoyed by your reaction to The Last of Us Part II Remastered this past year. Since January, we’ve loved watching you all tackle nail-biting No Return runs, show off your musical talents in Guitar Free Play, and go behind-the-scenes of development with the Lost Levels. Seeing new and old fans alike gain a deeper appreciation for our team’s work, and find new elements of our games to love, motivates our team to continue creating amazing experiences for you.

For TLOU Day 2024, we’re excited to offer a few new goodies for more fans on PC, announcing some new merchandise, and more. Read on for a breakdown of this year’s celebrations.

HBO Season 2 The Last of Us Day Teaser

Season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us is coming next year, and after your incredible reaction to the first look just a few weeks ago, we and HBO couldn’t wait to show you more of what’s in store. And thankfully, the wait wasn’t that long! Be sure to watch the jam-packed new TLOU Day Teaser for season two of the returning series.

Let us know what your favorite moment from the trailer is on social media – what scenes you recognize from the game, and what new glimpses you caught, too.

TLOU Part I on PlayStation Plus

While you wait for season 2 in 2025, maybe you want to refresh your memory on the story that started it all – or play it for the first time. We have exciting news for PlayStation Plus subscribers at the Extra and Premium Tiers!

The Last of Us Part I is now available as part of the PS Plus libraries at those tiers.* PlayStation 5 players can jump into our from-the-ground-up remake of the original TLOU. Explore the story of Joel and Ellie’s journey across America, enjoying the full campaign and the Left Behind standalone DLC, both with remade visuals, improved gameplay, and 3D audio enhancements.

New Steam Assets

It's been a joy to see so many new players fall in love with The Last of Us Part I since its launch on PC in 2023. To celebrate TLOU Day this year, we wanted to offer a host of new Steam bonuses.

Starting today, Steam owners can purchase new TLOU-themed animated stickers, avatars, and more via the Steam Points Shop. And among our new offerings is a The Last of Us-themed Steam Deck Startup Movie, featuring a take on the iconic The Last of Us’ original opening.

But the mold featured in this new startup animation was home grown by our own Graphic Designer Jason Ferry. Here was his creative approach to sprouting, capturing, and adapting a real-life mold into this intro:

“The Steam Deck animation is a timelapse of slime mold growing over a few days. I wanted the mold to grow into the shape of the Steam Deck logo so it felt more tactile and less like generic stock footage. To do this, I tried a bunch of different methods from 3D printing mazes to creating cookie cutters in the shape of the logo, but the best results came when the mold was grown upside down and baited with an oat flake.”

You can also check out some of Jason’s in-progress development of the mold in the photos below:

New The Last of Us Merchandise

We’re excited to reveal a few new offerings commemorating TLOU Day 2024. The first Youtooz The Last of Us collectibles are available for preorder starting later today. We’re thrilled to showcase the first in this new line of TLOU figures with Joel and the Clicker.

In our continued partnership with our friends at Gallery Nucleus, they are offering a new limited-run print that was previously showcased as part of last year’s TLOU 10th anniversary gallery show.

Additionally, new Joel and Ellie posable figures are now available for preorder from Spin Master.

And last but not least, a whole new set of TLOU merchandise is available at the PlayStation Gear store**. Check out the Seraphite jacket replica, the Look for the Light t-shirt, a cassette tape ornament, and a giraffe plushie keychain.

Thank you so much for celebrating The Last of Us Day for over a decade with us. It continues to be our team’s great honor to know how many of you have been moved by the games we make. The beautiful fan art, wonderfully detailed cosplay, and so much more you share stuns us daily, and we’re so thankful for your support.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our The Last of Us Day photo mode spotlight results – thank you to everyone who participated – and as always, we’re grateful to continue celebrating TLOU Day alongside you.

*Game Catalog varies over time, region/country, and plan. PS Plus is subject to a recurring subscription fee taken automatically until cancellation. Terms apply: play.st/psplus-usageterms.

**Availability limited to certain countries. See PlayStation Gear store for details.

As you dig into everything Part II Remastered has to offer, you’ve snapped some incredible photos along the way that beautifully showcase these features using its enhanced Photo Mode. Our first Photo Mode challenge centered around Part II Remastered is an effort to celebrate the stunning creativity of your shots so far!

Below is a collection of Photo Mode submissions from members of our virtual photography community highlighting some of their favorite features in The Last of Us Part II Remastered.

The featured submissions above are by: 

@discophotomode, @DotPone,@FrameCaptureVP, @gabedoesvp, @HopefulPablito, @illia_kor, @OuterRimsPhoto, @Sarokeye, @sorathluna, @TakaSanGames, and @WaveRC.

You all wowed us again with your Photo Mode work, and we’re so honored to see you all digging into the new and returning tools as you create these incredible works. To our virtual photography community, we hope The Last of Us Part II Remastered inspires you to reach new creative heights and that you’ll continue to share your photos with us. We’re grateful to the community that has sprung up around the mode.

Thank you to all who submitted Photo Mode creations for this challenge! If your photos weren’t selected this time, don’t worry, because we have plenty of opportunities to be featured coming up. We just kicked off a new, weekly community spotlight for your creations called Photo Mode Mondays. To submit your photos to be considered for Photo Mode Mondays, you can do so via this submission form. Don’t forget to add your social media handle(s) so we can tag you!

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is the definitive way to experience Ellie and Abby’s stories and is now available on PlayStation 5. Players who purchased The Last of Us Part II on PS4 can upgrade to The Last of Us Part II Remastered on the PS5 for a fee. For more information on how to upgrade, visit the PlayStation Store. And for more info on what The Last of Us Part II Remastered offers, check out our blog deep diving into the game’s features.

Ahead of launch later this week, we’re excited to showcase a new features trailer, that digs a little further into all the ways The Last of Us Part II Remastered enhances the original release. Check it out below:

For returning players who have been waiting to jump into the remastered version the $10 upgrade will be available as Part II Remastered launches! If you’re an existing digital or physical owner of The Last of Us Part II on the PlayStation 4 console, head on over to the PlayStation Store as soon as Part II Remastered is available to purchase the upgrade. If you own The Last of Us Part II via a disc, you must insert disc copies into your PS5 via a disc drive to download and play the digital version of The Last of Us Part II Remastered. You’ll be able to import existing saves from the original PS4 game and pick up from where you left off. Existing Trophy progress will also migrate to The Last of Us Part II Remastered.

No Return mode

Speaking of trophies, Part II Remastered’s exciting new single-player roguelike survival mode No Return comes with its own set of new trophies that should encourage you to dig into everything the mode has to offer. With a roster of 10 characters, including some never before playable in the world of The Last of Us, new gameplay mods, and so much more, we’re thrilled for all of you to jump into this new addition to the world of The Last of Us. No Return also integrates a number of Part II Remastered’s accessibility features, and combined with the ability to create custom runs that allow you to take on runs as you see fit, we look forward to hearing about your time with No Return.

And before you kick off your first No Return run, be sure to check out our primer on the roguelike survival mode new to The Last of Us Part II Remastered. We can’t wait to see how your Daily Run scores stack up against others on the leaderboards!

Guitar Free Play and more features

While No Return is designed to let players engage with The Last of Us Part II Remastered’s combat on a deeper level, it’s one of several new features included in Part II Remastered. Be sure to watch the features trailer above if you haven’t already for a rundown of the full experience, which also includes Guitar Free Play. This mode will let you fully immerse yourself in our guitar-playing minigame while you play as Joel, Ellie, and The Last of Us composer Gustavo Santaolalla, and strum on the guitar, banjo, and steel resonator. Use FX pedals to modulate your performance, and test out your musical expertise with a fan favorite feature we’re so happy to spotlight in its own mode.

Part II Remastered features new additions to our suite of accessibility features, like Speech to Vibrations and Cinematic Descriptions, which we previously included in The Last of Us Part I. We’re excited to bring these features to the Part II Remastered experience, as we also are to introduce Speedrun Mode, which we also introduced in Part I. We’ve also made some additions like dynamic lighting, Frame Forward, Gaze Direction, and new frame and logo options for Photo Mode, and we’re delighted to share that Photo Mode will be usable in No Return as well, ensuring you can capture all the unexpected and thrilling moments from your runs.

Inside The Last of Us Part II Remastered’s development

We’ve also included features we hope will give you a deeper appreciation for the game and its development. That includes hours of new developer commentary accompanying cinematics from Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, and Shannon Woodward. There are also three Lost Levels that show early-development slices of levels that didn’t make it into the final game. Those sequences - Boar Hunt, Jackson Party, and Sewers - include developer commentary explaining the intention and plans for these sections, which you can hear by activating them via interactables strewn throughout these levels.

To further offer a glimpse behind-the-scenes of The Last of Us Part II’s production, we’re excited to share that Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II will be added to The Last of Us Part II Remastered in a post-launch update, (release date TBA) and be available to watch online (release date TBA). A sequel to the original Grounded documentary for The Last of Us, the documentary will offer an in-depth look at Part II’s original development. Stay tuned to Naughty Dog’s social channels for updates on when to expect it.

In the meantime, be sure to check out our awesome Features trailer if you haven’t watched it already. As you dive into your adventure on January 19, let us know how you’re faring against No Return’s Daily Runs and share your Part II Remastered Photo Mode shots from the mode with us using the hashtag #NoReturn! We’ll be sharing some of our favorites in the weeks to come on the official Naughty Dog Twitter.

From all of us at Naughty Dog, we’re so thankful to those of you returning to this story with The Last of Us Part II Remastered; and to all of our new players – welcome! We’re grateful for your support in allowing us to craft experiences that mean so much to our team and to know how much they mean to you.

We know this news will be tough for many, especially our dedicated The Last of Us Factions community, who have been following our multiplayer ambitions ardently. We’re equally crushed at the studio as we were looking forward to putting it in your hands. We wanted to share with you some background of how we came to this decision.

The multiplayer team has been in pre-production with this game since we were working on The Last of Us Part II – crafting an experience we felt was unique and had tremendous potential. As the multiplayer team iterated on their concept for The Last of Us Online during this time, their vision crystalized, the gameplay got more refined and satisfying, and we were enthusiastic about the direction in which we were headed.

In ramping up to full production, the massive scope of our ambition became clear. To release and support The Last of Us Online we’d have to put all our studio resources behind supporting post launch content for years to come, severely impacting development on future single-player games. So, we had two paths in front of us: become a solely live service games studio or continue to focus on single-player narrative games that have defined Naughty Dog’s heritage.

We are immensely proud of everyone at the studio that touched this project. The learnings and investments in technology from this game will carry into how we develop our projects and will be invaluable in the direction we are headed as a studio. We have more than one ambitious, brand new single player game that we're working on here at Naughty Dog, and we cannot wait to share more about what comes next when we’re ready.

Until then, we’re incredibly thankful to our community for your support throughout the years.

Alan Wake II

Ashley Jane Morrow, Producer

Alan Wake II is my favorite game of 2023 because of its groundbreaking approach to survival horror and its immersive storytelling that expands the narrative universe into other Remedy games. Seamlessly blending horror and comedy, Alan Wake II crafts an experience that keeps players engaged while also incorporating various media forms in an innovative way. The dynamic environments add a unique layer to its gameplay, which allows players to manipulate their surroundings to gain strategic advantages. It’s so good! A round of applause for Remedy!

Baldur’s Gate 3

Patrick Goss, Director of Quality Assurance

As an old school D&D player, the Forgotten Realms games have always been as close as I felt I could get to replicating the experience of sitting down with friends and using pen and paper. But with apologies to an all-time favorite in Neverwinter Nights, it took Baldur’s Gate 3 to really get the 20-sided dice rolling… literally! The freedom Baldur’s Gate 3 gave me to choose what kind of character I wanted to play and how to react both tactically and narratively to situations is second to none. From character creation, to replaying events with a wildly different cast, to epic and challenging boss fights, it hits every note for people like me that love to sink neck deep into a state-of-the-art RPG. It’s a super polished game, and I’m a massive fan both personally and professionally of what Larian Studios accomplished.

Melanie Jorgensen, Operations Specialist

Baldur's Gate 3 is absolutely my favorite game of 2023! I’ll start with its stunningly beautiful graphics. Each act is packed full of gorgeous fantasy details. I love the little things - the different outfits, backgrounds, and character art. I've spent hours customizing my characters, adding all those little details that make them unique.

I've lost count of the hours I've spent getting to know my companions, each with their own distinct personalities. It's hilarious and heartwarming at the same time. I can really appreciate the immense work and love put into this game by the developers. I mean, I've clocked nearly 190 hours on a single solo campaign! Playing Baldur's Gate 3 inspired me to play real D&D with my husband. We’ve now run three exciting campaigns with friends! Overall, Baldur’s Gate 3 was a remarkable experience.

Bramble: The Mountain King

Mariah Morris, Associate Producer

Bramble: The Mountain King is a witch’s house made of gingerbread: I ate the entire door, and then it threw me into an oven. It’s a masterclass in folk horror that makes the most of the simplest game mechanics: run, hide, and DON’T be seen!

The stealth sequences are tense and unsettling, the monsters are behemoth and deadly. You'll be holding your breath praying the gods are hearing your pleas for mercy. Every set piece and environment in-between are grimly beautiful, whimsical, yet completely full of nightmares, from quiet moments to screaming crescendos, you'll feel as if a child-gobbling troll is swinging you by the ankle. By the end of it, I felt I had truly overcome Olle’s childlike fears and learned to be brave in the face of what goes bump in the night. One zillion gold stars for Dimfrost Studios!

Chants of Sennaar

Matthew Gallant, Game Director

Chants of Sennaar is a beautiful game about deciphering a foreign language through observation while climbing the Tower of Babel. This may sound daunting, but the game is smartly designed to gradually unfold in complexity. The real magic trick is recognizing that language and culture are deeply connected, so the narrative world-building and the vocabulary puzzle-solving reinforce each other. Sennaar creates these wonderful lightbulb moments when you recognize how two similar glyphs are related, or understand how one glyph modifies another, or finally piece together the meaning behind some inscrutable symbol.

Cocoon

Evan Wells, Co-Head of Studio

2023 has been packed full of amazing games so it's really hard to pick a favorite, but if I only get to highlight one, I'll have to choose Cocoon. The puzzle design is mind blowing! So many times, when I thought I was completely stumped, that “aha” moment would come and the solution became clear. I don’t know how the developers at Geometric Interactive so consistently pulled that off. And of course, the art direction was equally beautiful. It was an amazing experience the whole way through.

Dredge

Sebastian Gromann, Art Director

My favorite game of 2023 is Dredge. Unlike a lot of other brilliant-looking games this year, this one wasn’t initially on my (sonar) radar. I love Dredge's moments of immense relief. As a down-on-their-luck fisherman, I’m far out on the sea as the sun sets. I haul in the latest catch. It’s a Blacktip Reef Shark - finally! Reeling it in takes longer than I thought. It’s pitch black now and the music intensifies as a Lovecraftian sea monster starts chasing me. Trying to avoid colliding with boulders, while occasionally checking my map for the nearest inhabited island, I just baaarely make it into the safety of a harbor. I dock, breathe, sleep, sell my fish, upgrade my vessel - and I’m ready to try my luck again. I wonder what's to the east of where I was yesterday? Dredge was almost impossible for me to put down.

Lies of P

Trent Tharalson, Associate Recruiter

Lies of P was by far the biggest surprise of the year for me. It's a retelling of a classic childhood tale in a SoulsBorne shell that rivals the very titles that gave the genre its name. I completely fell in love with every aspect of it, from the interesting bosses to the incredible soundtrack to the world as a whole. My favorite aspect of Lies of P is the combat, specifically the high-risk, high-reward loop of perfecting my parry timing instead of dodging out of the way.

It's rare for me to take the time to do a new game plus run in any game, let alone multiple runs, but trying new builds, new abilities, and uncovering various secrets exclusive to new game plus runs keep me coming back for more. 60 hours, three playthroughs and a Platinum trophy later I'm already itching to start playthrough number four. In a jam-packed year with countless games to play, I continued to make time for Lies of P again and again.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Christina Drake, Recruiter

I’m a diehard Spidey fan, and I knew Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was going to be good. But I wasn’t prepared to have my mind blown by how truly incredible it is. The opening tutorial is one of the most impressive introductions to a game I have ever seen. Spider-Man is a superhero that both my two-year-old son and I love, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has action-packed, age-appropriate content that aligns with my partner and I's parenting strategy in terms of content and education about accessibility, disabilities, and diversity. It gives my two-year-old the opportunity to hold the controller and feel equally involved in the story by playing as Miles Morales and to see ASL used by his deaf cousins in action. The narrative is compelling and emotionally complex, and a love letter to Spider-Man fans across generations. The high-caliber cinematics, extensive side quests, and many customization options allow our family to have a shared experience with this beloved franchise!

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical

Brian Sanders, Outsource Artist

Mixing Greek mythology, urban fantasy, and musicals, Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical takes some of my favorite genres and creates a rare experience that I can’t help but sing about.

Playing as an interactive mystery, the story of Stray Gods places the player at the heart of a crime: the murder of an Idol, one of the last of the ancient Greek gods. Despite being centered around gods, the core of this story explores a wide breadth of the human experience, dealing with topics of finding yourself, love, trauma, connection, and fate.

I could sing praise endlessly for both the narrative and top-tier voice cast (including a few that fans of Naughty Dog will recognize), but the amazing roster of songs that drive the heart of this story bring everything about this game to the next level. The lyrics and rhythm shift based on your decisions as a player, propelling the story down branching paths as you uncover more of the overarching mystery.

A single playthrough gave me seven hours of solid gameplay, and each additional replay has given me vastly different experiences – new dialogue trees, new lyrics, new choices – along with a soundtrack playing on loop in my mind.

Street Fighter 6

Wasim Khan, Director of Character Technology

I’ve had an emotional connection with Street Fighter since I was nine years old. It’s the franchise that inspired me to pursue a career in game development. Street Fighter 6 is a world-class fighting game that drips in style and confidence with fantastic art direction and a cast of characters both old and new. For me it's one of the most impressive fighting games ever created.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Rochelle Snyder, Director of Communications

I know I love a game when I wake up earlier than needed to get a turn in. The game that accomplished that this year was Mario Bros. Wonder. Listen, we all know the creative minds behind this franchise are delightfully askew oddballs and they really proved that out with this entry to the canon.

Yeah, sure, let’s make a game where I’m an elephant wearing overalls keeping time to a beat, jumping my way through the clouds dodging giant Bowser fists, while using my hat as a parachute. Why not.

Also, I don’t know who designed the Jump!Jump!Jump! level but I hope you’re happy with yourself.

Anyways…while remaining nostalgically formulaic, the worlds are well thought out, unique and masterfully designed. The new gameplay capabilities and addition of making rhythm central to the experience are fantastic additions that beautifully layer onto the tried-and-true Mario mechanics. This also allows for a pretty sprawling choice of individualized play that’s really cohesively packaged. This game is bubble gum but make it something Willy Wonka would hand you with a smirk.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Jeremy Yates, Co-Head of Art

2023 was a masterful year for gaming, maybe the most complete in recent memory. That said, my favorite game pick has to go to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

TotK reminded me why we do what we do: To make something that’s genuinely fun to play. Link’s latest adventure is a masterclass in game design, art design, and storytelling. It’s difficult for a sequel not to feel like a mere expansion, but to me the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild stands on its own. Every boss battle feels unique and every encounter feels grounded in the universe that decades of Zelda games worked hard to establish. Thank you, Team Nintendo, for this gift to the games industry and players everywhere.

As we close the curtain on 2023, we want to thank the endlessly talented developers who created these incredible games. You inspire us daily and motivate us to reach new heights. To our fans, we can’t thank you enough for all the support and passion you share for the studio and our games. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and find some time to play the games you love!

Preorders for both the standard version of the game, physically and digitally, as well as the W.L.F. Edition, are available starting today. And to mark the occasion, we’re excited to highlight one of the most expansive new additions: No Return, a single-player roguelike survival mode. Before we jump in, check out our trailer for the mode below.

No Return is a new foray for the world of The Last of Us, built to spotlight Part II’s nuanced and engrossing gameplay in a unique way. Let’s dive a bit deeper into what you can expect from the mode.

What Is No Return?

No Return allows players to choose their own path and test their skills across runs of randomized encounters, throwing you into familiar spaces from The Last of Us Part II’s campaign, like Jackson, the Channel 13 News Station, and many more. These scenarios will be unfamiliar and even unexpected, though, with unique gameplay twists. But be warned: death is permanent in No Return, so if you fail a run midway, you’ll lose all weapons, items, and upgrades accumulated for that run and begin again with a fresh set of randomized scenarios. How you progress during any given run isn’t pre-defined – throughout a run, players will have to choose between different encounters, which will determine not only the type of gameplay mode you tackle, but also what rewards you may unlock, what potential modifiers you’ll encounter, and more. And in between each combat scenario, you’ll return to a Hideout, where you can prep and choose your next fight via a path laid out on a corkboard in these familiar locations.

Should you make it all the way to the end of a run, you’ll come up against one of six successively unlocked boss encounters (and after you’ve conquered them all, they will randomly cap off future runs) against some of Part II’s most memorable foes, but not necessarily in the ways you first fought them. Runs, whether they end in a victory or at the hands of a Clicker or Hunter midway through an encounter, culminate in a score and you’ll receive a rank based on your performance.

That next run will be unique from the one before it, offering a fresh set of encounters each time you play. No Return’s challenges fall into four different types – Assault, which pits you against waves of enemies; Capture, in which you have to break into a safe full of valuable supplies enemies are guarding; Holdout, during which you and an AI-controlled buddy defend against Infected swarming around you; and Hunted, in which you need to survive until the timer runs out against continuous enemy reinforcements.

Each type can take place in a variety of locations, and to continue ensuring each run feels fresh and distinct from what’s come before, Mods will randomly be applied to encounters. Choosing to take on modded challenges affects the rewards you’ll receive. We don’t want to spoil the full list, but these will test your skills in some fun and surprising ways, including mods like enemies dropping pipe bombs upon death, a thick fog enveloping the encounter map, and more. We’re excited for fans to experience the full suite of Mods in-game, as they offer some truly exciting twists to any given encounter.

Gambits are optional dynamic challenges that can further spice up any given round. From needing to land a number of headshots to dodging melee attacks, Gambits can both help you solidify a plan going into a challenge or offer up an opportunity to expand your strategy while working toward additional resources for that run.

Speaking of resources, as players of The Last of Us Part II will already be familiar with, the campaign features a number of upgradeable weapons for Ellie and Abby’s arsenal, as well as skill upgrade trees. These ideas carry over to No Return, but upgrades reset after each run, so you’ll have to make difficult choices as you progress about which weapon upgrades to spend your acquired resources on or what skills you think might offer the best edge in upcoming encounters. Which weapons drop also varies from run to run, which will further impact which upgrade paths you may want to, or need to, take to ensure survival.

No Return's Metagame

In addition to purely trying to survive a run, No Return offers a host of metagame objectives and unlockables that carry over from run to run, so that even if you can’t quite make it to a boss fight, you’re still working toward new characters, skins, and more.

No Return starts off with Ellie and Abby as playable characters, but one of the ways we wanted to offer player choice is with a wider suite of characters you can unlock, including some playable for the first time in the franchise. By progressing through various Challenges, you can unlock Ellie’s fellow Jacksonites Dina, Joel, Tommy, and Jesse, while Abby’s companions Lev, Yara, Mel, and Manny are all also unlockable.

Each character has unique traits that offer different playstyles. Dina, for example, comes equipped with trap and stun bomb recipes from the jump, and has an upgrade in her skill tree to craft double the amount of bombs, while Abby comes with a melee upgrade recipe and heals on melee hits. We hope the variety allows players to not only invest in the playstyles they love but also test out mechanics they may use less often.

Challenge tracks are associated with each playable character and the mode overall, and completing these objectives will unlock everything from new playable characters to new skins to gameplay twists like Gambits, Buddies, and more.

Though runs are randomized, you can separately take on custom runs that allow you to toggle on or off various factors that affect No Return’s gameplay. And if you’re feeling competitive, a new Daily Run will be available every day to prove your skills against the world.* Every player will have one shot at the same randomly generated run with the same character. See how you fare against other Part II Remastered players thanks to a leaderboard where you can track how your score and runtime stack up.

No Return will be playable as soon as you boot up The Last of Us Part II Remastered, though we encourage newcomers to play the campaign first to get a handle on gameplay. For both new and returning players, this mode is designed to challenge your skills, and while it does offer tutorial information, having a solid basis of the fundamentals of our combat system is recommended. Whatever your prior experience with The Last of Us, we hope No Return will offer something fresh and unexpected.

If you haven’t already, be sure to read our The Last of Us Part II Remastered announcement blog for a broader look at what the remaster includes. Players who already own The Last of Us Part II on PS4 will be able to upgrade for $10 USD to the Remastered version**.

But if you’ve never played before, Part II Remastered is available for preorder starting today. That includes the physical The Last of Us Part II Remastered W.L.F. Edition, available direct from PlayStation in select markets (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Benelux, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Austria), which includes 47 Society of Champions trading cards, a SteelBook display case, and more.

Whichever way you decide to play, we can’t wait for you all to experience for the first time or relive The Last of Us Part II Remastered when it arrives for PS5 on January 19, 2024.

*Daily Run requires internet connection.

**Price shown in U.S. currency and may vary by country. Check PS Store at launch on January 19, 2024 for local pricing.

Upgrades for disc copies of the PS4 version of the Last of Us Part II are only available if you have a PlayStation 5 console with a disc drive. Owners of PS4 disc copies must insert them into the PS5 every time they want to download or play the PS5 digital version.

Whether you’ve already played and even platinumed The Last of Us Part II on the PlayStation 4 console or have recently jumped into The Last of Us Part I on PS5 and want to continue the story, Part II Remastered will offer plenty of reasons for new and returning players to revisit a story that means so much to our studio. The engrossing campaign returns alongside technological improvements, new modes, and new behind-the-scenes features that will deepen your understanding of Part II’s creation. But before we break down what’s in store, take a look at our announcement trailer below.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is designed to let you dig deeper into both its development and mechanics. Chief among these is a brand-new mode called No Return, a roguelike survival mode designed to let players prove their mettle in randomized encounters and experience The Last of Us Part II’s combat in a fresh experience.

The mode includes a host of playable characters to choose from - some playable for the first time in The Last of Us franchise (which you may have spotted in our trailer) - who each come with their own traits to suit different playstyles. Players will chart their own course on each run, choosing between various stealth and combat encounters that will pit you against a range of enemies, with unique twists that can add new, unexpected factors to any given encounter.

Each run will offer a new chance to decide what rewards you get after each encounter, how you spec out your character, and more. Unlock more characters, skins, and more as you progress to use in the mode, customize your own runs, and compete on a global leaderboard as part of a Daily Run(2). We’re excited to share more about No Return as we get closer to launch.

For those who have already played The Last of Us Part II, we know the included sections featuring a playable guitar were a favorite for many, and you burgeoning rockstars impressed us with your performances. So we’ve introduced a new Guitar Free Play mode, which will let you strum the strings across a host of unlockable instruments, use audio FX pedals to modulate your performance, and play as different characters in several in-game locations to customize the mood and feel of your set.

And for both new and returning players interested in learning more, we’ve designed Part II Remastered to offer a comprehensive dive behind-the-scenes of how our studio brought this game to life. A new set of Lost Levels in Part II Remastered allow players a unique chance to check out some playable sequences previously cut from the game. These aren’t fully finished levels, but rather early-development slices that not only let you see some new glimpses of Part II’s world, but also include embedded developer commentary to give them richer context. Explore these spaces and hear directly from the team about the intention of aspects of each level – this is a unique inclusion for our studio and we’re excited to allow players a glimpse into the creative process.

We’ve also included newly recorded director’s commentary across the campaign’s cutscenes from director Neil Druckmann, narrative lead Halley Gross, and actors Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, and Laura Bailey. They assembled to offer insight into the story and its characters that mean so much to both our team and our fans, and we’re delighted to give fans even more understanding of the team’s approach to this story.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered will feature enhanced graphics, including native 4K output(1) in Fidelity Mode, 1440p upscaled to 4K(1) in Performance Mode, an Unlocked Framerate option for TVs that support VRR, increased texture resolution, increased Level-of-Detail distances, improved shadow quality, animation sampling rate, and more. It all brings the world of Part II’s story to life in richer and smoother detail, from the snow-swept mountains of Jackson, Wyoming to the rainy cityscape of Seattle, Washington, and should make a first visit or a return trip to the complex journeys of Ellie and Abby all the more engrossing.

Part II Remastered takes advantage of the PS5’s power and features in more ways as well, including improved loading times. Part II Remastered also incorporates DualSense wireless controller haptic feedback and adaptive triggers integration to better immerse you in every moment of combat and exploration.

We’ve ensured Part II’s award-winning suite of accessibility options returns for the PS5 experience, alongside new additions like the inclusion of Descriptive Audio and Speech to Vibrations, which uses the DualSense controller to indicate character speech and cadence. The unlockable Speedrun Mode, included in The Last of Us Part I, will also be coming to Part II Remastered, allowing players to post their best times. Following The Last of Us Part I, The Last of Us Part II Remastered includes the ability to unlock bonus skins for Ellie, Abby, and their weapons that we’re excited for players to see and take some incredible Photo Mode shots with. You can get a first look at some in our announcement trailer. And speaking of Photo Mode, we’ve made some additions that players of The Last of Us Part I may be familiar with, including dynamic lighting, Frame Forward, and Gaze Direction, as well as new frame and logo options.

We’re so excited to natively bring The Last of Us Part II to the PlayStation 5 as the definitive way to experience the sequel and everything it has to offer, while also offering fans new and returning deeper levels of appreciation for the work that went into it. Preorders will be available beginning December 5, both for the standard edition, as well as The Last of Us Part II Remastered W.L.F. Edition, which will be exclusively available direct from PlayStation in select markets (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Benelux, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Austria). It includes a SteelBook® display case, four enamel pins, a Washington Liberation Front Patch, and a total of 47 Society of Champions trading cards, including eight holographic cards. These were a favorite of Part II players to collect in-game, and we’re so happy we could bring these to life. Check it out below:

And good news for existing owners of The Last of Us Part II on PlayStation 4! You will be able to upgrade to a digital version of The Last of Us Part II Remastered for $10 USD(3) at launch.(4) You’ll also be able to import your saves from the original game to Part II Remastered.

We’re excited to share more with you about The Last of Us Part II Remastered as we get closer to its release on PlayStation 5 on January 19! Preorders will go live on December 5.

(1) 4K resolution requires compatible 4K TV or display.

(2) Internet connection required to compete in Daily Run.

(3) Price shown in U.S. currency and may vary by country. Check PS Store at launch on January 19, 2024 for local pricing.

(4) Upgrades for disc copies of the PS4 version of the Last of Us Part II are only available if you have a PlayStation 5 console with a disc drive. Owners of PS4 disc copies must insert them into the PS5 every time they want to download or play the PS5 digital version.

Whether you’re celebrating TLOU Day with us for the first or tenth time, we see September 26 - the date in which the cordyceps virus catalyzed the events of The Last of Us, also known as “Outbreak Day” - as an opportunity to honor your enthusiasm for this series that you share with one another, celebrate the incredible work of our teams here at the studio, and particularly in the 10th anniversary year of The Last of Us, highlight the legacy of this franchise. While we will not be making announcements regarding any future projects, we wanted to highlight some of the new and ongoing ways we’re celebrating this franchise with you and showing our appreciation for the passion, joy, and support you have shown us these last 10 years. We kicked things off this morning with a livestream – you can watch a VOD of the stream below or read on for a full recap of all the ways we’re celebrating.

Troy Baker Concert

The Last of Us games’ very own Joel, Troy Baker, performed a special concert in 2022 for a group of fans in Seattle, Washington. Baker’s beautiful set included a series of songs integral to The Last of Us that fans will surely recognize. While the concert was previously only enjoyed by those in attendance, we’re overjoyed to share his moving performance with all of you to celebrate The Last of Us Day. You can watch the concert on the livestream VOD!

Pearl Jam x The Last of Us T-Shirt

As players of The Last of Us Part II will know, Pearl Jam plays a pivotal emotional role in Joel’s story, so we’re honored Pearl Jam asked Naughty Dog to collaborate for the band’s yearly Halloween shirt. Fans can now order a The Last of Us-themed Pearl Jam T-shirt, featuring some awesome Clicker concept art, on the Pearl Jam website. But act fast, because it’s only available to order through September 29. See Pearl Jam’s website for more information.

The Last of Us Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios

For weeks now, fans have been stepping into the world of The Last of Us as part of Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights. Immersing fans in an incredible haunted house experience inspired by the Pittsburgh section of The Last of Us, we are grateful to have heard how many of you have enjoyed – and been terrified by – this unique collaboration. Featuring newly recorded dialogue by Joel and Ellie actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, we worked closely with our partners at Universal Studios to deliver an authentic The Last of Us journey. There’s still time to attend! Halloween Horror Nights runs select nights through October 31 at Universal Studios Hollywood, and November 4 at Universal Orlando Resort.

Gallery Nucleus Showcase

Earlier this month, Gallery Nucleus kicked off a special showcase celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Last of Us, spotlighting a host of new pieces inspired by the series from a talented mix of artists offering their unique takes on the franchise. Naughty Dog had the opportunity to visit the gallery to check out all the beautiful art, meet with fans, sign pieces available at the showing, and more. You can see photos from the event below, and if you’d like to own some of the stunning art pieces for yourself, you can order prints on the Gallery Nucleus website.

Fangamer The Last of Us Posters

We’ve partnered with Fangamer to create a duology of The Last of Us artwork from artist Greg Ruth! This poster set consists of two pieces of art: one featuring Ellie in The Last of Us Part I, and the other depicting Ellie from The Last of Us on HBO, which debuted earlier this year. We’re thrilled to honor both The Last of Us games and their HBO adaptation in this set, and preorders are open now through October 10, 11:59 PM PDT. The pieces are expected to ship early 2024.

Community Photo Mode Challenge – Infected

We’ve been hosting monthly Photo Mode competitions since The Last of Us’ 10th anniversary in June, and we capped off this miniseries by tasking fans to submit Photo Mode shots centered around The Last of Us’ Infected. Our fandom continuously blows us away with their impeccable Photo Mode skills, and as always, it was so difficult to narrow down to a small list of favorites. We want to offer a massive thank you to all the fans who have participated in these challenges over the last few months, and you can see the full community photo album of our picks here.

PlayStation Gear Store Merch Drop

New The Last of Us merch dropped on the PlayStation Gear Store today, including a replica of Ellie’s backpack, key art poster, new apparel and accessories, and more!*

And, you can use code TLOUDAY23 for a 20% discount on select TLOU merch from 9/26 – 10/3!

*Replica of Ellie’s backpack, key art poster, and some apparel and accessories are available for preorder. Expected to ship Fall 2023.

10th Anniversary Wallpapers

Lastly, we put together wallpaper versions of the 10th anniversary celebratory graphic in a variety of sizes that are free to download! You can find them on our community hub page.

Phew. What a day it’s been! We are so honored to celebrate The Last of Us Day with all of you, particularly as we honor 10 years of this franchise. Thank you for the last decade you’ve spent playing, showing your admiration for, and talking about these games. These stories mean so much to our studio, and we know in turn how much they mean to you. We hope you enjoyed this year’s The Last of Us Day celebrations, and thank you again for the last 10 years; they’ve been truly special.

In our previous Photo Mode challenges, we saw quintessential TLOU moments represented in our 10th anniversary kickoff challenge, tons of lush, beautiful landscapes in our challenge highlighting the breathtaking environments of The Last of Us, and solemn character portraits in our challenge celebrating the unforgettable characters of The Last of Us. This time, your submissions were packed with exciting action. It was a thrill to see all of your photos, and below are 15 images that blew us away with their beautiful use of color, perspective, and motion. Check them out!

The featured submissions above were shared by: @Photoingame, @ArnyMars1, @elliesrnbw, @elliesspacesuit, @GGMattt_, @theonlyjess_vp, @summers458, @LukeKasinger, @KeenEyeVP, @jabivgp, @HazzaniVP, @alpha_sunii, @calisarah1998, @ElektroVP, @mayyourdeathbeswift

You represented the full catalogue of Infected so well in your submissions, with everything from Runners to the Rat King making appearances. From an epic decapitation, to a melancholic Shambler, to an... unexpectedly sassy Clicker, the breadth of what you captured was a delightful surprise. We can tell many of you risked some close encounters to get some of these shots, and your bravery and resolve paid off, resulting in some truly spectacular photos.

We hope you enjoyed participating or following along with our 10th anniversary Photo Mode challenges the last few months. We want to share a heartfelt thank you to the fans for your support over the last decade, and for spending TLOU Day with us. It’s an honor to see your love for The Last of Us still burning brightly ten years later, and it’s been so much fun celebrating the franchise with you all.

That’s a wrap on our celebratory 10-year anniversary Photo Mode challenge series! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter to stay in the loop on future opportunities to participate in Photo Mode challenges.

Lastly, if you’re looking to dive further into the world of The Last of Us, The Last of Us Part I is available now on PlayStation 5 and on PC via Steam or Epic Games Store. And, The Last of Us Part II is available on PlayStation 4.

*By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode and @Naughty_Dog, you give SIE permission to share your content on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

For this Photo Mode challenge, you wowed us with your snapshots of a lush, overgrown Seattle, wide, expansive views of Jackson, and beyond. We selected 16 images that exemplify the meticulous detail and beauty of The Last of Us, and your impressive talents in capturing them via Photo Mode. Below is a compilation of just some of the many incredible submissions that took our breath away.

The featured submissions above were shared by: @amich_vp. @DCTLOUVP, @EagleTWB2, @erdturo, @Gamography_, @mayursurvival, @nalauravp, @Oos10_, @Photoingame, @sicparvismagnap, @sorathluna, @Tanfoi, @UkkoVP, @VPPops, @wistfulembrace, and @pointandgriff.

The world of The Last of Us is so near and dear to us, and we absolutely love to see your unique artistic perspectives give the series new life through Photo Mode. It was so fun to see you highlight the subtleties of locations and the stories they hold throughout the world; we put so much thought and detail into our games, and it’s such an honor to see you hone-in on those very details in your photos.

You all delighted us with your submissions once again, and we’re so grateful for your consistent, loyal support for The Last of Us and our community Photo Mode challenges. We’re going to continue our 10-year celebration of The Last of Us, so stay tuned for more information on how to participate in our next Photo Mode challenge. If you haven’t seen one of your submissions featured yet, don’t be discouraged! There will be more opportunities to share soon. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop regarding our next themed challenge. Or, if you want to see more of the incredible Photo Mode shots done by our community members, check out our Photo Mode blog celebrating 10 years of The Last of Us and our Photo Mode blog highlighting the iconic characters of TLOU.

If this look back at the world of The Last of Us has struck a nostalgic chord in you, The Last of Us Part I is available now on PlayStation 5 and on PC via Steam or Epic Games Store. And, The Last of Us Part II is available on PlayStation 4.

*By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode and @Naughty_Dog, you give SIE permission to share your content on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

And, of course, you did not disappoint, with so many incredible photos submitted capturing the essence of Joel, Ellie, Abby, and beyond. It’s beautiful to see everything from Ellie’s bright, playful spirit to the subtle pain behind Marlene’s stare represented in your submissions. It’s always difficult to choose our favorites, but the 15 images below truly show the emotional range and complexities of each character, and your talents of highlighting them through Photo Mode.

The featured submissions above are done by: @Ziggy_Princess_, @Ilyas_BenHaddou, @ElektroVP, @Sided_dice, @amich_vp, @cristiandrakeYT, @Marco_Salva01VP, @dpruttz_vp, @TakaSanGames, @playpausephoto, @Kiddo274, @PhotoInGame, @Thibzz180, @GSMind89, and @Skiae_.

As you can see, you all showed Ellie a lot of love in this challenge. We saw so many amazing shots of her, it was hard to pick just a few. You also showed up in a big way for our expansive cast, capturing great moments of Lev, Yara, and Marlene. You always rise to the challenge and it’s so much fun for us to see your creativity!

We want to offer a huge thank you to everyone who submitted their incredible work for this Photo Mode challenge. If you don’t see your shots represented in this round, don’t worry! There will be more chances to be featured soon as we continue celebrating 10 years of The Last of Us! Keep an eye on our Twitter and Instagram to participate in our next themed community challenge. Or, if you can’t wait to see more of our community’s stunning virtual photography work, check out our previous Photo Mode blog celebrating the 10th anniversary of TLOU.

If you’re feeling as nostalgic as we are reflecting back on the past decade, you can play The Last of Us Part I today on PlayStation 5 or on PC via Steam or Epic Games Store. And, The Last of Us Part II is available on PlayStation 4.

*By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode and @Naughty_Dog, you give SIE permission to share your content on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

Dogs,

Today Evan Wells announced that after 25 years at Naughty Dog, he’ll be retiring at the end of 2023.

While he will very much still be part of the Studio Leadership Team until his departure, he and I have spent much of the past couple of years building a leadership structure that reflects our growing team at the Kennel and sets us up for the future.

As Evan has pointed out, our good fortune has led to immense and steady growth. With that kind of success and size comes the need to re-evaluate how we structure a Studio Leadership Team that reflects the next chapter for Naughty Dog.

At present, I will be Co-Head of the studio with Evan Wells, along with taking on the responsibilities of Head of Creative, ensuring that I will be able to invest in the future of our projects, creative vision, and overall business strategy.

Alison Mori is getting promoted to Studio Manager and Head of Operations, where she will be responsible for Naughty Dog’s overall operations and finances and will join me in steering the business of our studio.

Arne Meyer will be continuing his work in developing long term cultural impact and wellbeing at the studio and is now Head of Culture and Communications.

Our Head of Technology will be Christian Gyrling, who will continue to push us to new heights in innovation and technical solutions.

Joining our already existing Studio Leadership bench will be Erick Pangilinan and Jeremy Yates as Co-Heads of our extensive and impressive Art Departments, while Anthony Newman will move into his new role as Head of Production and Design.

Erick Pangilinan has been a tremendous asset for over 25 years with Naughty Dog, and his contributions both to the studio and to our games are without parallel and cannot be overstated, from progression to environment artist to Art Director to building our industry-leading outsourcing pipeline, the dedication and aptitude Erick brings to our studio is invaluable.

Jeremy Yates has brought expertise and craftsmanship to Naughty Dog for over 20 years, from Lead Animator on the UNCHARTED franchise to our first Animation Director, his contributions and organizational skills span across a multitude of projects, making him the perfect candidate to make the studio stronger.

Anthony Newman joined us during UNCHARTED 2 and went on to Co-Game Direct The Last of Us Part II. His high level of attention to detail and quality will undoubtably aid us in bringing more rigor and standards to our processes to ensure we continue to craft our games in an environment that brings out the best in our creative process and in our talent.

While Evan will be terribly missed, I am confident that our evolved Studio Leadership Team will allow us to thrive and grow in new areas.

We wish Evan well in his well-earned retirement! He’s been extremely generous to stay on for much longer than he originally planned, working closely with us to thoroughly craft this new structure. I feel truly honored to have such a passionate, thoughtful, and talented team at Naughty Dog, and this growth reflects the ability to recognize the meaningful contributions from all departments, while setting up our studio to be more accessible, agile, and scalable.

I know I speak for everyone at Naughty Dog when I say, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Evan; for your knowledge, your love of this studio and the industry, and for the great care you took to ensure that our studio was always moving in the right direction, your inspiring leadership will forever be part of our DNA.

- Neil

Dogs,

After 25 years at Naughty Dog, I wanted to share with all of you that I’ve decided to retire at the end of this year.

This is something that I’ve been discussing with Naughty Dog’s Studio Leadership Team for well over a year, and with Neil for even longer than that. The decision brings with it overwhelming and conflicting emotions, but I’ve come to realize that I’m content with my time at the studio and all that we’ve accomplished together over the last 25 years. I couldn’t be more confident in Neil's ability to carry on running the studio. It’s the right time for me to provide the opportunity for him and the others on the Studio Leadership Team to steer the studio into a successful future.

I’ve been making games professionally for over 30 years, and Naughty Dog has been my home for over half my life! I’ve seen this studio grow from hire number 14 (me!) during the Crash 3 days in 1998 to over 400 Dogs today. Every major life milestone I can track with a Naughty Dog project – I met my wife during Crash Team Racing, we took our honeymoon after shipping Jak 2, had our first child E3 week when we announced Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, and our second child was born right in the thick of development on The Last of Us.

Working here has been awe inspiring and I have nothing but gratitude for everything that I’ve been able to learn and be a part of. And, getting to collaborate with the passionate and driven teams at SIE and the other PlayStation Studios has been a pleasure. I’ve never taken for granted the opportunity I’ve had to be surrounded by such impressive creativity and talent and I’m thankful to all – past and present – for teaching me so much.

There’s never a perfect time to step away, but I’m incredibly confident that I'll be leaving the studio in the best hands. Neil and the rest of the capable and dynamic Studio Leadership Team are perfectly suited to ensure Naughty Dog continues to lead the industry - not only in the games we make, but the environment in which we make them. I am positive that Naughty Dog will continue to push the industry and our medium forward.

I couldn’t be more excited about our current projects and not getting to see those games to completion is going to be hard. But we’ve never had a stronger team in place to ensure that we will deliver them in a way that will set industry standards and exceed all expectations.

Finally, to all the Dogs in the Kennel - I am humbled to see what you all have accomplished, and I am thrilled to have the honor to watch from the sidelines as you all continue to uphold the well-established development culture that has led to our good fortune and string of successful games. I have no doubt Naughty Dog will reach new heights and continue to raise the bar for the state of the art.

Thank you for what has truly been a tremendous adventure, I’m thrilled to see what the future holds for this inspiring team and I’m so proud of you all!

- Evan

Until next time, endure and survive!
- Neil Druckmann, Co-President

What is one of your favorite memories from working on the original development of The Last of Us?

Evan Wells, Co-President: We had been working for months on a trailer to officially announce The Last of Us at the 2011 Video Game Awards. Miraculously, we had managed to keep its existence completely secret despite it being in development for nearly two years. As the days passed and we got closer and closer to the debut, we obsessively checked the internet for any possible leaks. It looked like we were going to make it. Then just days before the event, I got a call from Neil [Druckmann] who sheepishly told me that he had lost his iPad on a plane that had the trailer on it! He was sure that he had blown it, and that we'd be seeing our trailer leaked just hours before the big night. Thankfully, his iPad was locked and nothing came of it. Everything went off without a hitch, [and] it just made the anticipation for us that much more exciting!

Matthew Gallant, Game Director: TLOU was the first game I worked on when I joined Naughty Dog, so my memories of working on it are very tied up with getting to know the team and the studio culture. One thing that stood out to me immediately was the unabashed willingness of developers here to just get up and act things out. If someone was requesting a particular animation, or they wanted an NPC to behave a certain way in combat, they would just get up and pantomime their idea out in the middle of the office. Having come from a studio culture that was more reserved, this was quite surprising to me. Especially since I was mostly working on infected combat, I got to see (and do) some very interesting performances! I distinctly recall looking up from my computer one day and seeing one designer running down the hall with another designer in their arms, perhaps testing some idea for the (now iconic) opening with Joel and Sarah. It made a strong impression on me that this was a studio culture that was playful and creative, and it demonstrated how everyone on the team was pouring their heart and soul into the game.

Shaun Escayg, Creative Director: One of my favorite memories [from working] on TLOU was at the first trailer launch. I remember the trailer began and you could hear all the murmurs in the crowd... What game is this? Whose game is this? The awe and confusion at the same time. And of course, we (The Dogs) were all biting our nails; Do they like it? Love it? Hate it? Then the crowd's reaction when they saw Ellie and the Naughty Dog logo. The thrill. I had never been to an event quite like that before. It was epic.

Christian Gyrling, Vice President: The drug store [level] was our testing ground for AI early in the game's development. Figuring out the combat and AI in that area was a huge challenge. I remember the excitement when the AI started navigating around the bookshelves and the player could sneak in-between the shelves; that was the moment when we knew we had some exciting gameplay.

What were some of the biggest lessons you learned from The Last of Us' development that impacted work on future games?

Erick Pangilinan, Art Director: Setting up constraints in our art direction forced us to be more thoughtful in our decisions, ultimately creating a better visual identity for the game. For example, in lighting, we were limited to only using natural light, since most [in-game locations would have had no electricity. This forced us to design scenes with the sun's direction as a big consideration, or where the windows were placed in an interior space. This gave [The Last of Us] a more natural feel that helped [curate] the grounded, realistic look we were going for.

Matthew: On the design team, the leads and directors had this principle that, rather than bring prototypes to them for feedback, we first wander over to another department and ask someone from another discipline to playtest. As a newcomer to the team this was a daunting prospect, but it forced me to get around the studio and meet new people. Of course, the feedback we got from this process was always valuable, since people outside of the design team had fewer preconceptions about how things were supposed to play.

Eric Baldwin, Lead Cinematic Animator: We key-framed all the facial performances for the initial version of the game. We were really pushed to embrace the more grounded, subtle, yet emotional performances that we needed to achieve. It was a new challenge that we were excited about and really honed our abilities to hit the right tone and emotions of our actors and characters.

Hyoung Taek Nam, Senior Character Concept Artist: The Last of Us was the first project that challenged every design process that I used to build characters, with a deep focus on character storytelling. It was a huge opportunity to conceptualize narrative ideas as part of the design of the characters. It was a very cinematic development process, and it was a great learning experience as to how powerful and impactful characters can be in a game with a strong narrative.

What scene or moment do you most love from The Last of Us?

Erick: I love the scene where Ellie is sitting by the window in the ranch house, and the intense dialogue between her and Joel in the bedroom. The lighting, facial expressions and performances really came through and made a lasting impression on me.

Christian: When Joel is trying to save Ellie from David. Enough said...

Matthew: I love the intensity of the bloater boss fight in the high school gym. I love the flooded hotel basement with its jump-scare intro and creepy stalkers. I love how the financial plaza fight highlights how dynamic the AI is. And I love playing as Ellie at the lakeside resort, stalking cannibals in the snow.

Shaun: There are many, but if I had to pick a favorite scene in The Last of Us, it's the scene where Joel is confronted by Ellie at the abandoned farmhouse. There's something about Ashley and Troy's performances and the way our team of animators were able to capture that gut-wrenching feeling of desertion and abandonment. The way Ellie’s eyes well up when it dawns on her that her instincts were right - Joel was planning to abandon her. And, Joel's reaction to being called out. It is rare that real, human emotion is captured in 3D so precisely and subtlety. I am moved every time I see that scene.

Eric: Joel holding Sarah as she passes is just so heartbreaking and emotional, it's hard not to completely empathize with him in that moment. The title card hasn't even played yet. It sets the stage for the story and experience we're about to journey on, and it does so much to let us understand this character we're going to live through the experience with.

Hyoung: For me, the most memorable scene was when Ellie and Joel argue after Joel plans to leave Ellie with Tommy. They shared the same pains in their life, and it was the first time they truly opened their hearts to one another. Ellie’s iconic line during that scene really struck my heart. I agree we don’t need many, but it’s enough to have one true person who cares for you in life. And of course, the giraffe scene was awesome, but somehow, I loved the monkey running around even more...

Since TLOU's release, is there a particular moment with a fan or the wider community that sticks out to you as demonstrating how powerful a connection TLOU has made with players?

Erick: I've had several instances where I was eating in a restaurant, and I would overhear a conversation about TLOU from the next table. They would be telling their friends or partner about the game they just finished playing. The excitement in their voices and seeing how it affected them made me realize the genuine connection this game has made with different people.

Christian: This was more related to Left Behind, but numerous individuals reached out to Naughty Dog and expressed immense gratitude for how the game gave them the courage to come out and be the person they really were. It was heartwarming and an incredible feeling to have indirectly helped someone through such a difficult time.

Eric: I was in a checkout line at a hardware store, wearing my TLOU shirt. The young woman working the register said "Ooh, I love your shirt! That's my favorite game!" Which is always flattering to hear - I replied "oh, great! Thanks" - She stopped short and asked if I worked at Naughty Dog. "Yes" I said. She seemed to get shy while also speaking of being excited for the sequel. And before I left, she hesitated, then asked if she could get a selfie with me. That kind of stuff is for real celebrities, and in that moment it really stuck out to me what the game meant to her. It was really touching to have that normal day-to-day interaction with someone and see that something we worked on has such a place in the hearts of fans.

Hyoung: I received many letters and comments on my social media that were all lovely, and I felt very thankful to the fans. One of the most memorable things was a fanbook I received from an online Korean TLOU fan club. I realized that The Last of Us love was worldwide. I also appreciate the many fan art creations done of Clickers, and the many photos of Ellie and Joel cosplayers. They are all amazing.

Brick or bottle?

Erick: I like the solid impact feel of the brick!

Christian: Brick, all the way.

Matthew: Brock the Brick!

Shaun: Brick.

Hyoung: Brick!!!

Eric: Brick, all day, every day.

Any other memories or anecdotes that immediately come to mind about The Last of Us, its legacy, and its impact on you and the team?

Christian: During the development of The Last of Us, I was about to become a parent myself. The strong bond between Joel and Ellie triggered parental protective feelings in me. I will never forget it.

Matthew: Having spent a better part of the last decade working on a game with “The Last of Us” in the title, this series will forever have a special place in my heart. Thanks to all the players who have come on these journeys with us.

Eric: It's been a joy to see the growing exposure of The Last of Us to the world, both through the PS5 and PC releases of the remake, and through the HBO series. We always knew the story and experience of this game was something that could appeal to a broad audience, and it's very gratifying to see more people get to enjoy it.

Hyoung: I always feel lucky and proud that I was involved at the very beginning of The Last of Us as Character Concept Designer. It was all possible because we had an amazing team who were passionate and dedicated their whole hearts to making a great game.

We’re so grateful to the fans who have shown their incredible support for The Last of Us over the last ten years. It’s been amazing to hear how The Last of Us has impacted you all, and your passion for Joel and Ellie’s story helps drive us. It means so much, and we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our fantastic community.

To commemorate The Last of Us reaching this 10-year milestone, we’ve selected 10 stunning virtual photography shots from the phenomenal submissions. It was, as always, a tremendous challenge to pick just a few from your many wonderful submissions, so know that we appreciate and are so grateful for every shot you shared. See our picks below:

The featured submissions above are by: @Guille7600, @PhotoInGame, @Ceraphyte, @BranCakesVP, @spm_vp, @wistfulembrace, @gabedoesvp, @Dash_845, @MaraKnightVP, and @calisarah1998.

To our community: Thank you for your unbelievable support over the past decade! Your love for The Last of Us inspires us, and we’re so grateful to all of you.

If you're looking to experience the unforgettable story that started it all and take your own photos, or if you’re just feeling nostalgic, you can play The Last of Us Part I today on PlayStation 5 or on PC via Steam or Epic Games Store.

* By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode you give SIE permission to share your content and Instagram or Twitter username on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

As we began development in-house, we wanted PC players to experience an amazing story that truly lasts the test of time while maintaining the equally high-quality bar across both PC and PlayStation consoles. The Last of Us Part I marks the first time an entry in The Last of Us series has been available on PC with PC-specific quality of life improvements and features such as VSync and frame rate cap options, adjustable Texture Quality, Shadows, Reflections, Ambient Occlusion, and more. As our second modern PC release after UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection, it’s important to us as a studio to consider what it means to reach new and old audiences alike.

Familiar World, New Territory

Following UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection’s PC release, we focused our efforts and learnings onto the PC version of The Last of Us Part I. Behind the scenes, we worked towards ensuring that The Last of Us Part I would be an authentic, satisfying experience for those playing on PC. The challenges we overcame and the successes we achieved in our previous modern PC release empowered us to dig into Part I’s PC development. New projects bring new challenges and opportunities alike.

We were determined to do this right by preserving an experience so many love while delivering it to a new platform. From a technical perspective, Naughty Dog’s engine used for Part I was optimized for PS5. Moving it to PC meant a large amount of tuning, tweaking, and even re-thinking, especially when it came to how we utilized the GPU. We made careful decisions on how to adapt the overall experience for the PC.

PC gaming gives a lot of personal freedom to players to customize their experience. As developers, we must ensure the experience is authentic across platforms while addressing the reality of differing hardware, even if we must reconsider fundamental aspects of a game. For example, The Last of Us Part I on PlayStation 5 employs “stick-walking,” where players traverse a space using the DualSense controller’s thumb stick. As we all know, walking too fast in The Last of Us might alert the Infected, which, if you’re trying to remain stealthy, you’ll want to avoid. But while using the thumb stick, players’ emotions might sometimes get the best of them, resulting in throttling the speed at which they walk. This feature is both tactile and emotional, adding to the suspense of any encounter. For the PC version, we had to consider many players’ preference of using a keyboard and mouse as a viable control method. However, they don’t necessarily behave the same way as a controller. So, the Design team explored and adapted this traversal method while still ensuring a world-class player experience with mouse and keyboard. We want PC players to experience the same level of tactile and suspenseful gameplay console players already enjoy.

These are only a few examples of the considerations and adjustments made for us to deliver The Last of Us Part I on PC. We knew every modification, whether a slight tweak or complete adaptation to the PC platform, made a big impact on players’ experiences. Developing for both platforms will also allow us to incorporate lessons learned from either platform into the overall way our games are designed and played.

A 10 Year Journey

PC may be a relatively newer platform for modern-day Naughty Dog, but this milestone is part of an almost decade-long journey for this beloved story. We originally released The Last of Us in 2013, introducing a new story, characters, and world to players globally.

Every developer contributed their talents and creativity, sometimes in moments of unexpected inspiration. I remember when we recorded our Animation Director and a concept artist acting as a survivor and a Clicker to demonstrate how they’d move and interact in-game. In this video, a survivor scavenges for food while a Clicker stalks him as prey. This demo was so suspenseful to watch! What was even more surreal is seeing this footage adapted by our talented teams into the in-game Clicker’s erratic, scary movement style that still scares all of us today. Whether we were handwriting (and, at times, hand-drawing) discoverable letters Joel and Ellie would find along their adventure or working together to craft fun and tense gameplay, we felt incredibly proud to contribute towards an experience that was a summation of our collective creativity and passion for games.

As development of the original The Last of Us neared its end, we played the completed game for the first time at our desks. We emailed back and forth, proud and emotional over this profoundly evocative experience we poured so much effort into creating. Nearly 10 years later, we are humbled how it resonates with so many of you, and it is surreal to see fans of every era celebrate the games and watch the HBO adaptation. Countless talented developers contributed to the world of The Last of Us over the years, and their contributions have brought us to this day. We are proud of the work we’ve done, both now and then.

Remaking The Last of Us Part I was an immense creative and technical undertaking. While the story remains timeless, we knew we could significantly modernize the original experience and showcase an even more vibrant world to explore. We remade Part I for PlayStation 5, using all our learnings from the past decade. We’re proud of how this version breathes fresh life into the original story, so returning players and new fans alike may experience Joel and Ellie’s journey with modern visuals and gameplay.

Now that we accomplished releasing the remake on PS5, we are thrilled to bring this game, not just to PC but for PC.

The Road Ahead

So, where will the next Naughty Dog development adventure take us? Rest assured, PlayStation and PC players, we’re already looking forward to sharing more, whether you prefer a DualSense controller or a keyboard and mouse. Developing for both platforms empowers us to incorporate lessons learned from either into the overall design of our games. Sharing our stories and experiences on PS5 as well as PC is something that Naughty Dog has embraced and will continue to support moving forward.

That said: today, we celebrate! We have many people to thank for the launch of The Last of Us Part I on PC.

Thank you to Sony Interactive Entertainment, and, of course, our studio members who contributed their efforts towards launching The Last of Us Part I.

To The Last of Us community – thank you for all these years of support and passion. We are continually humbled and motivated by your energy and excitement. To new players, welcome to the world of The Last of Us! We hope you have an incredibly gratifying experience as you navigate the world with Ellie and Joel.

Thank you for playing. Endure and survive -- and thrive.

--

The Last of Us Part I is now available on PC at Steam and Epic Game Store. You may also experience the definitive version of this timeless experience on PlayStation 5.

With the HBO series having just completed its first season, and with The Last of Us Part I now available for the PlayStation 5 console and for pre-purchase on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store (available March 28, 2023), our behind-the-scenes series Building The Last of Us next turns to Naughty Dog Co-President and HBO series executive producer Neil Druckmann discussing the two actors and bringing them into the show in new roles, while Baker and Johnson reflect on seeing the roles they performed take on new life in The Last of Us HBO series, the surreal nature of stepping into new roles in the TV series, and more.

Watch the video below to hear from Baker, Druckmann, and Johnson, and be sure to check out past entries in our series, including a look at how Ellie and Joel’s relationship is at the heart of The Last of Us, a dive into The Last of Us’ unforgettable opening, how TLOU’s Clickers continue to scare us, and how the cruel world of The Last of Us is brought to life.

Spoilers follow for The Last of Us game and show follow.

In bringing the entirety of The Last of Us to life in a new medium, Druckmann hoped the talented teams involved in developing The Last of Us would be proud of this adaptation, including those performers who were so essential to bringing these characters to life.

“The people I was most nervous about liking the show were Naughty Dogs, people that have dedicated big chunks of their lives to bringing this game to life. And then parallel to that is everybody I’ve met and connected to while making the show, I wanted them to be proud of this thing that they’ve dedicated so much of themselves to,” Druckmann explained. “In that equation is the incredible cast that we work with, but specifically, Troy and Ashley, who were on this journey, both for [the original game and Part II], and to have them continue this journey with us in this other medium was really special.”

Baker, who originally played Joel, steps into the HBO series as James, a member of David’s crew in the Winter-set episode, “When We Are in Need.” As Druckmann explained, this allowed Baker to come into the story at a very unique point given his experience playing Joel.

“There was something interesting about putting him in the Winter sequence, especially on the Ellie side of that story, because there’s a Joel part and then an Ellie part. And Troy got to experience the Joel part in the game,” Druckmann said. “And he does a phenomenal job [as James]. It’s a really nuanced performance, and Craig [Mazin] and I are very impressed with what he pulled off.”

For Baker, he was grateful to have a role that, well, we don’t want to steal his excellent pun from him.

“Giving me a role that had some meat on it, pardon the pun, as opposed to just being a wink to the camera, was fun, it was a challenge,” Baker said.

“And to see these scenes and sets that were originally, literally a gray wooden box on gray carpet, with 64 cameras around us, on a soundstage, to now, built from the ground up, with meticulous detail,” Baker continued. “If I could have gone back to the person that was walking into the production office [for the original The Last of Us] and said, ‘Dude, you’re not going to believe this, but more than 10 years from now, let me tell you what this thing looks like.’”

Meanwhile, Druckmann explained that “there was no question” in his and fellow executive producer Craig Mazin’s minds about who needed to play Ellie’s mom Anna, given the significance Johnson, who has played Ellie in both The Last of Us Part I and Part II, would bring to the role.

“There’s only one person that should play this role, and, of course, that’s Ashley Johnson, who...brought Ellie to life in one respect and now gets to bring Ellie to life in a very different way,” Druckmann said. “Ashley’s fantastic...and to hear Ellie’s voice that you know from the game, and here she’s given birth to this other Ellie, there’s something just so poetic and cyclical about the whole thing.”

For Johnson, it was important that her performance made an impact with both fans, and people new to the world of The Last of Us.

“[This franchise] is something that we care so much about, and there's that feeling that I don’t want to let anybody down,” Johnson said. “More people are going to see this, people that know nothing about the game. I want those people to be as connected to it as some of the people were to the game, connected to these characters and connected to the story, and believe in these people.

“There’s a lot of me that was very nervous to play Ellie’s mom...[but] I wanted it to be good and believable, and I want people to be able to feel all of the feelings in the best way.”

For both actors, the experience allowed them to revisit the world of The Last of Us in a particularly unique way.

“I can’t think of any other thing where someone would’ve experienced it in this way, to where it was something that they were a part of making that then got adapted to something else that they were also in but in a different way. We’ve watched it develop, played it, watched it get adapted, we’re in that as well, and now viewing it...that doesn’t happen,” Baker explained. “...It was absolutely surreal.”

“This was Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann getting together and being like, ‘How do we keep the integrity of the story and bring it to life onto screen for people who aren’t gamers,” Johnson said, reflecting on how the casting of and portrayal of Ellie by Bella Ramsey on the HBO Series “blew me away.”

“I couldn’t be happier because if you work on something and love it as much as we do and care about this project as much as we do, you want that. You want it to be good, and you want to make sure that the next stage that it goes to, you want other people to have that same feeling, and it’s there. I’m just, I’m blown away,” Johnson said.

And Johnson echoed Baker’s sentiments about how to best encapsulate this experience for the two of them...surreal.

“’Surreal’ is perfect. It’s the closest word to describe the feeling of it, knowing that we’ve been a part of this project for a decade," Johnson said.

And whether you’ve been with the franchise as a player for nearly a decade, newly come to it via the HBO series, or simply want to re-immerse yourself in the world of The Last of Us, the series’ first season is now streaming on HBO Max. And The Last of Us Part I is available for PS5 and for pre-purchase on Steam and the Epic Games Store (available March 28, 2023). To learn more about it, be sure to check out our recent look at The Last of Us Part I on PC’s specs and features.

To celebrate an unforgettable end to season one, and the phenomenal talent present in our virtual photography community, we selected 16 of our favorite #TLOUPhotoMode shots inspired by episodes 7 – 9 of The Last of Us.

See our picks from our wonderful community below:

The featured submissions above are by: @discophotomode, @EclipsedFantasy, @ForgottenJasmin, @HyKirley, @i3ecci_, @jabivgp, @photoingame, @RevolutionAndre, @Simon0aVp, @souchan1235, @TheFourthFocus, @tlou_captures, @VPPops, @vrphotogamess, @XxPAGZxX, @OuterRimsPhoto

To our community: Your immense talent always shines through in your spectacular Photo Mode shots, and we’re so thankful you share your inventive skills and passion for our world with us. We’re so grateful for your participation in our #TLOUPhotoMode Challenges over the last nine weeks, your support of the HBO show, and your wider support for The Last of Us that drives our studio every day.

If these pieces make you want to create your own virtual photography, don’t forget that The Last of Us Part I is now available on PlayStation 5, and available for pre-purchase on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Lastly, for more information on The Last of Us and how it was adapted for HBO, be sure to check out our behind-the-scenes series Building The Last of Us to learn more about The Last of Us’ unforgettable opening, the creation of The Last of Us’ Clickers, how the game’s developers built the world of The Last of Us, and why Ellie and Joel’s story is at the heart of TLOU in both game and show form.

* By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode you give SIE permission to share your content and Instagram or Twitter username on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

With the HBO series having just completed its first season, and with The Last of Us Part I now available for the PlayStation 5 console and for pre-purchase on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store (available March 28, 2023), our behind-the-scenes series Building The Last of Us next takes a look at the way Joel and Ellie’s relationship grows over the course of both game and show.

Watch the video below to hear from Neil Druckmann, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, who originally starred as Ellie and Joel respectively, and Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, who star as the pair in the HBO series, and read on for more from the creatives. And be sure to check out our full Building The Last of Us series for a dive into The Last of Us’ unforgettable opening, how TLOU’s Clickers continue to scare us, and how the cruel world of The Last of Us is brought to life.

Early in The Last of Us Part I’s story, and its TV adaptation, Joel is put in charge of Ellie to get her out of the Boston QZ, but the setup isn’t ideal for either party.

“These two characters collide with each other and are forced to be together, and you can tell neither one of them wants it,” Naughty Dog co-president and The Last of Us on HBO executive producer Neil Druckmann said. “It’s more explicit in the show than it was even in the game because, with the game, we were finding it as we’re making it.”

The two characters come from different outlooks on the world, different relationships with this post-pandemic world, and different points in their life, and so they aren’t necessarily happy about being forced together. But there’s a clear recognition early on in the way these characters relate to one another.

“Joel’s relationships at the start of the story have everything to do with what motivates him, what keeps him going. The relationship to his brother, the loss of his daughter... there are very few things left in life, you know, to help him remember that he’s an actual human being or that there’s a real beating heart inside his chest, which makes him capable of really dark things” HBO series Joel actor Pedro Pascal said. “And then he meets Ellie, who’s even more like him than anyone else, and [she] will reignite the essence of his identity and purpose.”

“Growing up in the Boston QZ with a load of other kids in the FEDRA education system, [Ellie is just] one of the masses and has no concept of a future, of what to do with her life,” HBO series Ellie actor Bella Ramsey said. “And as soon as she finds out that she has this immunity, she feels like she belongs here. She feels like she has a purpose.”

And though it may be unspoken, the two form a bond over a shared fear – ending up alone in this cruel world.

“When we first meet Ellie, Joel doesn’t know anything about her, and I can see without having any knowledge of who she is that she seems like a [jerk]. But it’s a bit of a front. Her biggest fear is ending up alone,” Ramsey explained. “She [feels] the same way that Joel does, because Ellie is afraid of putting her trust into somebody and becoming reliant on their constant presence for the fear that one day, it’s just going to stop, and she is going to end up alone.”

The duo shifts from unhappily venturing out together to, over the course of their shared struggles, caring deeply for one another as if they were father and daughter.

“Joel and Ellie have become a metaphor for the connection a parent feels for their child, which is this very primal feeling that can override a lot of other motivations and goals,” Druckmann said.

Evoking that relationship is a task two other actors know well – Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker played Ellie and Joel, respectively, in The Last of Us games, and have the unique position of seeing these characters they first inhabited over a decade ago come to new life with the show.

“It's [almost as if we’ve] been waiting for this moment for Bella to be able to bring this character to screen because it’s like seeing Ellie the video game character come to life,” Johnson said.

“I had one singular goal [in watching] the show: teach me something new about Joel,” Baker explained. “What did I miss? Because I felt like I went over that [character] with a fine-tooth comb...and Pedro did that episode 1, and he continues to do that through episode 9.”

The Last of Us in game form keeps players immersed in the experiences of its core relationship, so that players have direct involvement in every tense encounter, each momentary relief as the duo thinks they’ve found safety, and, of course, choosing to hear all of Ellie’s puns. While Ellie and Joel come across other survivors on their journey, it was a purposeful choice to never deviate from the perspective of their story.

“We gave ourselves this rule when we were making [the original game], everything is either seen through Joel’s perspective or Ellie’s perspective, and that’s it, because we want you to spend a lot of time with them moving from space to space in real time and becoming them,” Druckmann explained.

The show, as a non-interactive form of the story, offers deeper looks at some of the characters related to Joel and Ellie’s journey in a way that reinforces and reflects on the ideas of how important relationships with others can be in a life of survival.

“With the show, [only offering Joel and Ellie’s perspective] would not have worked. Instead, we had this opportunity to unplug from our main characters and plug into these other characters... and I’ve now heard from a couple people that have watched the whole show and went back to play the game, and they said the game feels richer now having watched the show,” Druckmann said.

But in whichever form it takes, the story of The Last of Us comes back to its heart – the relationship at the core of its journey and what it represents.

“Both versions of the story I think ultimately have a similar conversation about love,” Druckmann said, echoing a sentiment shared by Johnson and Baker that both watching and playing leads to a deeper understanding of the characters and themes present throughout the story.

“This was Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann getting together and being like, ‘How do we keep the integrity of the story and bring it to life onto screen’...and they honored the game in a huge way,” Johnson said. “It’s a companion in a way, but you’re going to have two different experiences with the show and a different experience with the game.”

“What they got the opportunity to do was explore those same moments and same emotional beats in a different way,” Baker said. “It’s not an either/or. It’s yes/and. It’s do both. Play the game, then watch the show, or watch the show, and then play the game.”

“They’re such unique experiences, [but] people that do experience both will get the richest version of that story...these things can live side by side and speak to and enrich one another,” Druckmann said.

And whether you’ve watched and played, only experienced one version, or want to re-immerse yourself in the world of The Last of Us, the series’ first season is now streaming on HBO Max. And The Last of Us Part I is available for PS5 and for pre-purchase on Steam and the Epic Games Store (available March 28, 2023). To learn more about it, be sure to check out our recent look at The Last of Us Part I on PC’s specs and features.

Whether you’re coming to the launch of The Last of Us Part I on PC as a first timer – maybe you’ve been enjoying The Last of Us on HBO and want to jump into the game? – or if you’re a returning player who wants to experience this memorable adventure all over again, we hope the PC version will be an exciting way for everyone to play.

We previously confirmed Part I’s PC iteration will bring with it the same main content as its PS5 counterpart, but with the PC release drawing near, we snuck by some frightening Clickers to deliver more information about what players can expect.

Whatever your previous experience with The Last of Us Part I, its PC release brings with it plenty of PC features to bring Joel and Ellie’s tense and unforgettable journey to life. This version of The Last of Us Part I is optimized for PC with PC-centric quality-of-life enhancements. Part I will feature AMD FSR 2.2 support*, Nvidia DLSS Super Resolution support*, VSync and frame rate cap options, and a host of features designed specifically for PC, including adjustable Texture Quality, Shadows, Reflections, Ambient Occlusion, and more.

Through the experiences of Joel and Ellie, PC players can fully immerse themselves in beautiful yet haunting environments in stunning detail with true 4K resolutions**. From the harsh, oppressive streets of the Boston QZ to the overgrown and abandoned homes of Bill’s Town to so much more, embark on a beautiful journey across the United States of America with Ultra-Wide Monitor Support for both 21:9 Ultrawide and 32:9 Super Ultrawide aspect ratios.

Experience all these locations, stealthily sneaking through abandoned homes and cities (and picking their drawers and cabinets clean looking for supplies) or engage in tense, captivating action with 3D audio support to better hear the rustle of leaves, the crack of glass, or the footfalls of enemies trying to ambush you***.

The Last of Us Part I on PC features DualSense support through a wired connection so players can feel the impact of battle, the rumble of a tank rolling by, and so much more through haptic feedback and dynamic triggers. With support for the DualShock 4 controller, a wide range of other gamepads, and keyboard and mouse, players can adjust their playstyle to suit their preferences. The PC release includes a number of new control customization options including full control remapping, primary and secondary bindings for keyboard and mouse control, an adaptive mode that allows players to combine keyboard and controller inputs, and more.

As our team has been hard at work on the PC version since Part I’s PS5 release, we’ve also been continuously listening to player feedback. The Last of Us Part I on PC will include a number of bug fixes and improvements throughout the game, in big part thanks to our community’s feedback.

To ensure you have a smooth experience, we recommend the following PC specifications:

Whether you’re a new or returning player, The Last of Us Part I on PC will bring with it the same core gameplay experience of the PS5 version, including its award-winning campaign, the Left Behind DLC chapter, additional modes like Speedrun Mode****, Permadeath Mode, and Photo Mode. Part I’s PC launch will also include The Last of Us Part I’s suite of accessibility features so that players can adjust the experience to suit their needs and preferences.

If you’re counting the days until launch, you can still pre-purchase The Last of Us Part I on PC!

The Firefly Edition of The Last of Us Part I for PC via Steam is still available in limited quantities in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg through direct.playstation.com. Pre-purchase it to receive a SteelBook, physical copies of The Last of Us: American Dreams comics, and more.

The Last of Us Part I PC Firefly Edition: direct.playstation.com

Additionally, the standard and digital deluxe editions of The Last of Us Part I are still available for pre-purchase. All pre-purchases will receive bonus supplements and bonus weapon parts for their adventure, while the Digital Deluxe Edition includes early in-game unlocks, cosmetics, and more. Make like a Runner and head over to the following storefronts to pre-purchase your copy now:

The Last of Us Part I PC Digital Deluxe Edition: Steam | Epic Games Store

The Last of Us Part I PC: Steam | Epic Games Store

We have been so moved by the incredible support from new and returning fans alike for the franchise over the years, and especially since the start of 2023. We’re so grateful to the incredible fans, new and old, who have been loving The Last of Us series on HBO, and for everyone who has been, and with this PC launch is looking forward to, jumping into our games. Thank you for all your continued support, and we can’t wait to welcome more players to Joel and Ellie’s journey on March 28!

* Compatible PC and graphics card required for enhanced graphics.
** Compatible PC, graphics card, and 4K display device required.
*** 3D Audio requires stereo headphones or compatible speakers.
****Game progression required to unlock for The Last of Us Part I Standard Edition.

Your #TLOUPhotoMode shots for our challenge spanning episodes 3 – 6 were truly something to behold. Many of you captured images so reminiscent of the show we had to double-check they weren’t stills from each episode! From the many incredible submissions we’ve chosen 15 incredible shots that capture the heart of the story thus far. And if these pieces make you want to create your own virtual photography, don’t forget that The Last of Us Part I is now available on PlayStation 5, and available for pre-purchase on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

See our picks from our wonderful community below:

The featured submissions above are by: @_LastGlass_, @calisarah1998, @ENfamily_gt77, @GSMind89, @HyKirley, @iShouldGoN7, @KMBvsVP, @Mett981, @OuterRimsPhoto, @Sarokeye, @Simon0aVp, @EclipsedFantasy, @wingsforgames, @evanescentpixel, @videogameflicks

We can’t thank you enough for your enthusiasm and participation in our #TLOUPhotoMode Challenge. We’re consistently amazed by your eye for detail, creative perspective, and ability to convey emotion in your pieces. And this Photo Mode challenge was no different – we're so grateful to everyone who submitted their breathtaking in-game photos.

The next challenge will cover episodes 7 - 9, and we’re so excited to see what you create. Be sure to use the #TLOUPhotoMode and tag @Naughty_Dog on Twitter or @Naughty_Dog_Inc on Instagram for a chance to be featured in our final community photo album inspired by season one of The Last of Us on HBO!

If you’re looking to learn more about Joel and Ellie's unforgettable story and how it’s been adapted for TV, be sure to check out our deep-dive on The Last of Us’ unforgettable opening, the creation of The Last of Us’ Clickers, and how the game’s developers built the world around Joel and Ellie.

* By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode you give SIE permission to share your content and Instagram or Twitter username on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

The world they, and players, explore can be a cruel and unforgiving one, but also a world filled with beauty and light amidst the struggle for survival. Players are met with two distinct but clear examples of how life has transformed in this post-pandemic world early in the adventure of The Last of Us Part I – the Boston Quarantine Zone and Bill’s Town. The dichotomy of these locations demonstrates the human and natural threats around every corner, as well as the bright spots of humanity struggling to survive in this world. With both locations recently featured on The Last of Us on HBO, as well as recently remade in The Last of Us Part I on PlayStation 5 console and available March 28 on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, let’s dive into what makes these locations so essential to Joel and Ellie’s journey, and how the HBO adaptation tackled Joel and Ellie’s viewpoint of the world around them.

Cruel World

On the note of viewpoint, when playing The Last of Us, despite wherever the adventure takes you or the characters you meet, the team endeavored to tell this story quite specifically.

“We gave ourselves this rule when we were making it, everything is either seen through Joel’s perspective or Ellie’s perspective, and that’s it, because we want you to spend a lot of time with them moving from space to space in real time and becoming them,” Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckmann said.

That perspective feeds into how players are introduced to and informed of The Last of Us’ world and characters. That’s not only true of how The Last of Us’ unforgettable opening communicates its emotional stakes, but also in how players are introduced to the post-outbreak landscape via Joel’s time in the Boston Quarantine Zone, a heavily militarized community overseen by FEDRA, where civilians are just trying to eek by in a harsh world.

“In The Last of Us, when nature takes over society again, we tried to bring out the beauty of natural lighting, and the tone and atmosphere of that," Naughty Dog Art Director Erick Pangilinan said. “When we show the QZ, we take out all the plants. We take out all the natural life. You won’t see a lot of trees in the QZ, you won’t see a lot of grass. Everything is very sterile, everything is man-made, and you can see the misery of what’s happening in the QZ.”

“It’s very oppressive in the Boston QZ, and we want to express that right away with everything you see. As soon as you walk out onto the street, you see men with guns, fences up everywhere keeping you from walking anywhere other than where the government wants you to be,” Lead Cinematic Animator Bryant Wilson said.

The Naughty Dog team, both originally for The Last of Us’ debut in 2013, and for The Last of Us Part I remake, had to consider how first impressions could immediately communicate the tone and mood of the Boston QZ, and by proxy the way of life so many survivors were facing.

“That first street [in the QZ] does a lot of work creating that world they’re in. The people who are pulled out of their homes, and they’re being forced to take an infected test. When you play through that, you’re given the option to sit and watch it or just walk on by, and it’s not something that we force you to look at, and that’s on purpose,” Wilson said. “It’s a reality of this world.”

“The QZ is man trying to control other people, and how to maintain control over the world and over nature,” Pangilinan said. “A lot of the materials in the QZ are very angular and hard. We like to create that tension of how this oppressive organization is controlling day-to-day life.”

Evoking the tone of this portion of the world, and the difficult realities survivors face under the thumb of FEDRA, is conveyed through every artistic choice, every animation and moment the development team produces to bring the post-pandemic world to life.

“The lighting in that area is very bluish and very overcast. We like to create this atmosphere like you’re in a prison... in the QZ, the people are very frustrated. We wanted to bring out their frustration, their hopelessness,” Pangilinan said. “And you can also see this in the marketplace where, when we tried to design it, we wanted to make sure that the place felt very desperate, very scarce, and people are selling rats and scrap metal because this is what they’ve got, and they’re trading things just to get by.”

The Boston QZ serves an important function in the context of The Last of Us’ story as the players’ introduction to the state of the world in this new era. When considering how to both preserve and refine that experience for The Last of Us Part I, the development team endeavored to bring the world to life with richer detail, but not for the sake of simply adding more.

“The first thing we always do is ask, 'What was the original intent of this scene,’” like, for example, the QZ marketplace. It’s so easy to just clutter that with goods,” Pangilinan said. “But, in fact, the goal of that scene was to show the scarcity of living in the QZ and how desperate people were. It was important to show what they were eating or what they were selling, and how the whole thing is set up, where everything is just made to pack up and run once they get caught.”

A refinement and improvement of details, rather than a surplus of new ones, helped guide the team in ensuring the remake maintained the tone and emotional honesty of Part I’s original story.

“If there’s any animation that could be improved upon we would, but we didn’t want to add too much to it, mainly because we don’t want to ruin the feeling of the original,” Wilson explained. “Every animation in that sequence has been retouched, redone, reworked and improved, even in ways that may not be noticeable right away.”

HBO’s The Last of Us introduced viewers to the Boston QZ in its premiere, and, as Executive Producer Neil Druckmann explained, offered one of the many opportunities to showcase TLOU’s world from multiple vantage points.

“With the show...we had this opportunity to unplug from our main characters and plug into these other characters,” he said. “You get to see Marlene talking with this new character, Kim, and we get to flesh [Marlene] out some more and see how she deals with the situation of being the leader of the Fireflies in a way that we didn’t get to see in the game. We heard about it offhandedly, but now we get to see the drama of what this character is wrestling with and the push and pull she’s feeling between different parts of her duty.”

“One of my favorite things was being able to walk out certain things about her life and her experiences that were only locked in my imagination,” Merle Dandridge, who plays Marlene both in the game and show, explained. “Obviously, we’d had a ton of conversations, we had imagined, dreamed and thought about who she was and where she had been. But some of these things that the audience is going to get to see are fresh to them in some ways butt still steeped in the truth of who she is and where she came from.”

Even with familiar locations like Marlene and the QZ, the HBO series finds new ground to examine the world of The Last of Us through a new lens. And that idea is particularly true of another environment game fans will be familiar with.

Beauty in the Danger

Compared to the sharp-edged buildings, nature-less city streets, and gloomy palette of the QZ, Bill’s Town as seen in The Last of Us Part I is a breath of fresh air, albeit one with danger still lurking in the brush. An abandoned Massachusetts town, the titular Bill has, essentially, created an intricate maze of traps and alarms to keep himself safe in an area largely devoid of human life, but filled with the potential danger of the Infected.

But even with that looming threat, Bill’s Town is an opportunity for players to see the world of The Last of Us come alive – beautiful natural light drenches abandoned homes overgrown with natural flora.

“This is the world that one guy has been curating, and it gives the player a little bit of time to breathe, to look at this beautiful area,” Wilson explained. “This is what freedom looks like now. It’s dangerous, but it has this beauty to it, where the natural world has come back and overtaken it.”

“Bill’s Town has its own isolationist feeling, it’s a person’s castle and it’s his domain. He controls what he lets in and out. And nature is one of those things that can go in and out of it. So we wanted to create Bill’s Town in a warm setting, with the sunset shining through nature and the buildings," Pangilinan said. “It creates this different aesthetic to contrast where you just came from, the tunnels and the sewer, which is very dark and dangerous."

But just like with any decision about the artistic ambitions for a given portion of The Last of Us, the world around the player reflects back on the story and characters at the heart of it.

“In Bill’s Town, he lets nature takes it course, but he also has built this into his sort of small QZ. And we wanted to create this mixture of how nature and man balances out,” Pangilinan said. “But Bill’s Town is also representative of Joel. It’s representative of his psyche and his isolationist and paranoid side of his personality. That’s why we represent it with, with walls, with traps, a lot of things that trigger and, and fights back and pushes back so that they can be on their own.

Of course, as those who have watched The Last of Us on HBO’s third episode will know, Bill’s Town is still depicted, in essence, as Bill’s personal fortress, but the way viewers experience it is quite different from the game. Rather than via Joel and Ellie’s perspective, the show flashes back to let us watch Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) fall in love and live out their lives. It changes the experience of how fans learn of this corner of the world, but it retains the characters and pathos in a format that better suits its new medium.

“Bill’s Town is an interesting one because that section was great in the game, but it’s very much a great encounter. You go to this interesting place that is an environmental change from the QZ that you’re in. It’s a small Massachusetts town. You meet a guy who’s funny and cranky and weird, and then there’s gameplay,” Executive Producer Craig Mazin explained of the shift in direction for the show.

“There’s a philosophical argument between these two characters of Bill and Frank that was touched on in the game and is really expanded on in the show, which is, yes, you could survive but to what end,” Druckmann said. “That’s where these two philosophies are presented, where Bill’s position is, 'That is the end. The end is survival.' And then Frank is like, 'No, there’s more to life than this.' In the game, they have a falling out, and Frank leaves. And in [Craig’s and my] conversations, we thought it could be interesting to show the opposite of that in the show.”

“I thought there’s another way of thinking about this [section of the game and its message], which is that Joel and Ellie are two people that love in different ways,” Mazin explained. “And there’s a good argument to be made that you need both kinds of people, people who love outwardly and then people whose love is protective, both of which can get you into trouble, and that there was an interesting opportunity to just expand the Bill and Frank storyline to tell a story that we didn’t see [in the game].”

The depictions of this portion of The Last of Us diverge, giving fans of the game something entirely new to experience in the episode, while those introduced to Bill and Frank in the show can come to understand their corner of the world in a different way by playing the game. But they’re all rooted in the same desire to bring forth these memorable characters, what their stories mean, and how these relationships impact their lives. And it’s an alternative take that Druckmann welcomed when Mazin presented it, especially as it allowed the show to showcase more perspectives of the world beyond Joel and Ellie while still reverberating through to their story.

“I was terrified when I sent it to Neil because... talk about wandering off the path, and he loved it. I mean he was just like, 'This is my favorite one so far,’” Mazin said. “Which is a testament to... how much space he created for me to play around and think of some new things.”

“The tragedy of that episode is the note that Bill leaves Joel, which is to say, ‘This is your job. This is what you have to do with Tess,’ and Joel gets that message too late, and that’s when that shift happens,” Druckmann said. He’s like, 'Well, it was too late for Tess. Maybe it’s not too late for this kid,' and that’s the mental shift he makes at the end of that episode. Without saying it, that whole Bill and Frank episode reflects back onto them and makes you understand this significant choice that Joel is making at that point.”

And for Druckmann, it was all about adapting the story the Naughty Dog team had worked on in a way that best fit its new medium. In doing so, he hopes it’s an experience that can impact playing The Last of Us for those who have watched it.

“There’s no core [gameplay] loops in a TV show other than viewers sit there, watch and enjoy it. But the drama has to be elevated because of that,” Druckmann explained. "So, that allowed us to, in some ways, enrich the world and the characters, and I’ve now heard from a couple of people that have watched the whole show and went back to play the game, and they said the game feels richer now having watched the show."

And whether you’ve already begun to, or are planning to jump back into the game, The Last of Us Part I is now available on PS5, and available for pre-purchase for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store for release on March 28. For more on The Last of Us and its adaptation to TV, be sure to check out our deep-dive into The Last of Us’ unforgettable opening, and a breakdown of how Naughty Dog brought The Last of Us’ Clickers to life.

To celebrate the familiar threads between the show and game, we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to highlight one of our favorite features from The Last of Us Part I, Photo Mode! We asked members of our community to submit in-game re-creations from the first two episodes of The Last of Us on HBO with the hashtag #TLOUPhotoMode for a chance to be featured, and you all delivered with some incredible photos.

To our community: you consistently amaze us with your talent and eye for detail. It’s amazing how you can capture so much emotion in one frame and have us looking at iconic moments through a completely different lens. It’s such a pleasure to see your passion for The Last of Us come through in your virtual snapshots.

It was incredibly difficult to narrow down our choices from all the wonderful submissions, but we’ve selected 13 striking virtual photography pieces that captured the essence of the story so far. And if these pieces inspire you, don’t forget that The Last of Us Part I is now available on PlayStation 5, and available for pre-purchase on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

See our picks from our wonderful community below:

The featured submissions above are by: @Groovighost, @Johnnie_Talkie, @Sarokeye, @Solemist, @Dash_845, @Quelbia94, @VRPhotoGamess, @CaliSarah1998, @Coalabr14, @RevolutionAndre, @Jules_vp_, @Lucaslu_ckli, @EclipsedFantasy

Thank you again to all who submitted Photo Mode shots inspired by the first two episodes of the show. Our next Photo Mode Challenge will cover episodes 3 – 6, and we can’t wait to see what you come up with. Be sure to use the #TLOUPhotoMode and tag @Naughty_Dog on Twitter or @Naughty_Dog_Inc on Instagram for a chance to be featured in our next community photo album!

And if you’re looking to learn more about the story that started it all, and how it’s been adapted for TV, be sure to check out our deep-dive on The Last of Us’ unforgettable opening and our look into the creation of The Last of Us’ Clickers.

* By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode you give SIE permission to share your content and Instagram or Twitter username on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

Whether you encountered these foes when the original The Last of Us debuted in 2013, watched their live-action versions appear on The Last of Us on HBO, have recently experienced them in The Last of Us Part I on the PlayStation 5 console, or are planning to play Part I on PC starting March 3 via the Steam or Epic Games Store, the Clickers are not to be taken lightly. Following our deep dive into The Last of Us’ unforgettable opening for our series Building The Last of Us, we next spoke to members of the Naughty Dog team both from the original TLOU and Part I about what make these Clickers, well... click, and about how the TV show’s creators tackled bringing the tension of TLOU combat to live-action. And for more, be sure to check out our look into iconic The last of Us locations like Bill's Town and the Boston QZ.

Creature Creation

The Last of Us’ Clickers are an immediate threat when introduced to players, but they of course had to feel natural to The Last of Us’ unique take on a post-pandemic world.

“When we started working on the [The Last of Us]...It was very clear you’re going to fight other factions, other humans as they’re trying to survive, and you will have competing goals. That was very clear. And then we’re like, 'Do we even want the Infected?,’” Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckmann explained.

The team considered keeping The Last of Us so grounded as to only have human enemies, but in realizing another enemy type could help showcase the idea of what brought mankind to the brink, the germ of the Infected was born. But they didn’t suddenly spring to life fully formed.

“We were always wary of how we differentiate ourselves from zombies, because there have been a lot of zombie movies, a lot of zombie games, and we could easily fall into that trap of just being one more zombie thing without having some fresh take on it,” Druckmann said, explaining that a specific piece of art during the concepting phase solidified where the team could take the Infected.

“Hyoung Nam, one of our concept artists, eventually did this mash up...he took these fungal growths, these photographs of them and this person that was slumped against a wall and bashed them together, so this person that was against the wall, just covered in fungus, you couldn’t even see their face anymore,’” Druckmann said.

From there, the team kept iterating and refining this core idea of what the infected could be, including the idea that the Cordyceps infection at the heart of this outbreak would grow into a person’s brain and split open their head, leading to what eventually became the iconic look of a Clicker’s head.

“We tried to be true to the idea and the concept of the Cordyceps,” Art Director Erick Pangilinan said. “That unique bloom in the head is how we were trying to tie that back into the Cordyceps idea. The Clicker bloom was definitely an 'Ah, ha!' moment."

Just as important to conveying the fear the Clicker strikes in players is its movements. The quick snaps of its neck, the flicking of its limbs – every step the Clicker takes is one scary step closer to it discovering you. But, as Lead Cinematic Animator Bryant Wilson, who worked on The Last of Us Part I and Part II, describes it, his personal philosophy when animating a Clicker’s movement is rooted in an idea that stays true to Nam’s original concept – a human body being controlled by something else.

“My own way of thinking about whenever I was animating a Clicker is that these are alive human beings that have something pulling their strings,” Wilson explained. “It’s almost like they would be marionetted by this fungus inside their brain. That’s why you get these motions where, while they move in the right direction, it’s like someone’s pulling them in that direction.”

And as The Last of Us players will know, the introduction to the Clicker is a striking moment.

“The first introduction to a clicker, other than the dead one, is one that’s right up in your face, and we do that on purpose,” Wilson said. “It’s a jump scare that works because, at this point, we’ve kind of only talked them up. You’ve seen the regular runners, and this is the first time that you see [a Clicker] that’s, that’s been out there for a while in the wild.”

But what players will perhaps know is just as frightening as being up close with a Clicker right in Joel’s face is what you hear before you see it, and that’s what gives it its namesake.

Click, Click, Click

The Clickers earn their name for a reason – without sight, Clickers use these sounds to not only conveniently strike fear in the player, but also to understand their surroundings and track their prey. Though the team knew it wanted to emulate the idea of Clickers using these sounds as a means of echolocation like a bat or dolphin, they still needed to land on what that was.

“One of the most important things was to try to use human sounds as much as possible. We did not want to just make it very creature-y,” PlayStation Studios Senior Director of Sound and Lead Audio on the original The Last of Us Phil Kovats said of the entire Infected soundscape.

“We weren’t sure what we needed. We weren’t sure how we were going to get that. We hired probably four or five actors and spent some time on the stage with them to let them evolve into a sound and figure out what they could do because that’s what they’re good at,” Kovats explained. “We hired very specific actors. And the one actor that found the voice was Misty Lee. And we’d worked with her in the past before, and she’s amazing, and she’s very fun and creative and playful, and she did this back of the throat, kind of dolphin sound, which Derrick Espino and I look at each other, and we’re like, 'Oh, my God, what is that? This is amazing.’”

Phil and the team took Lee’s sessions and worked with them to establish the depth and range of sounds the Clicker can emit, as the wider Naughty Dog team continued to iterate, refine, and collaborate on what these Infected were capable of. But even with Lee’s work, which was intended for female Clickers, Kovats realized pitching it down or adjusting the audio didn’t sound quite right for what they intended for male Clickers. The answer to that solution came from a surprising place – Kovats himself.

“I found out that I could do the same sound. I think I surprised myself in that. I spent a lot of time laughing with Derrick Espino and Erick Ocampo and recording myself in the sound rooms [at Naughty Dog],” Kovats said, noting how he differentiated his performance a bit. “I’m a little resonate, and using the back of my throat, I always had this tailing whine that would happen as well, too.”

But as players of The Last of Us will already know, and future players will find out, is how dynamic the Clickers are in their vocalization. There is clear and distinct emotion in their soundscape, and that’s very much intentional and achieved thanks to the collaborative work across departments.

“We had to work on creating all these stages and then work with the animation teams and the AI teams to script this as if it was dialog,” Kovats explained. “It’s not just a sound effect. We treated these sounds like dialog of a character.”

Delivering that authenticity meant providing enough depth and believability to the various states players might find a Clicker in, from more docile (though still threatening) moments to how they’d behave in the midst of combat encounters.

“There was a lot of work that went into making sure that you could place the emotion and the state of the character, from unaware, sleeping, there was just breathing and maybe occasional clicks. We saw the animation and how they would have the character twitch, and so we would add little things that would happen like that randomly. We would have buckets of sound that we could call randomly in this to make it seem very organic and natural in that state,” Kovats said.

“And as it started to move...if it was unaware, we would have very quiet vocal tones and nothing that sounded really threatening, but still trying to creep the player out,” he continued. “There were these light clicks as it was navigating its environment...and once it knew something was around, then it was more aggressive sounding, more of the vocal content would be added, as well as higher clicks, louder clicks.”

This variety of sound of course not only adds authenticity and depth to the Clickers to make them feel like more of a threat, but it also serves an important gameplay function – as players choose whether to stealthily avoid these foes, being able to hear their alert level, and their location relative to you, allows the player to better determine how to survive against one of The Last of Us’ most iconic threats.

And that threat continues to linger all these years later, a legacy built from the work across developers and departments throughout Naughty Dog to bring Clickers to life, and continue to do so, most recently via The Last of Us Part I, now available on PlayStation 5 and available for pre-purchase on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

“There were very talented sound designers at the time [of the original game], Derrick Espino and Erick Ocampo, who took on a large mantle of trying to put all that together for the game,” Kovats said. "We worked on it together, and we tried to make sure it was right, and there was a lot of iteration back and forth to get it to be great. And then moving forward into the second game and what people are hearing more now for Part I, Beau Jimenez came in later and reworked a lot of the sounds for the second game. They had a lot more to work with, there were more behaviors, it was more dynamic in the second game and for Part I.”

Bringing the Clickers to Life

And of course, the Clickers have now been seen in live action via The Last of Us on HBO. The second episode also marked Druckmann’s television directorial debut and allowed him to bring the franchise’s most iconic Infected to life. In doing so, he had to consider the differences in making such a scary creation so effective in a new medium during a sequence like the museum Clicker encounter.

“One of the biggest differences for an action sequence, we would almost never put that in a cutscene in the game because it’d be like, ‘Oh, I want to play that.’ Those are the parts we want to give control to the player and say, 'Deal with the situation,’ and that gets you to feel the threat,” Druckmann said. “You can’t do that with the show. So, what the show is a lot about, especially a show like this, was a lot about restraint. When something is horrific like this, it’s scarier when you don’t see it.”

That leads to tense moments where Joel, Ellie, and Tess in the TV show get a glimpse of the Clickers, but don’t immediately come into combat with them.

“We’re going to see glimpses of them, or you’re going to see them in a reflection in the glass. Even at the end of that episode, when that horde [of Infected] is coming towards Tess, we keep them out of focus because it was creepier not to see them, to just feel their presence,” Druckmann said. And it’s scarier, especially in that medium, to see the fear in the character’s eyes. So, a lot of the direction, as far as where you put the camera is, 'Let’s show the characters’ fear as much as possible, even more so than the thing that’s chasing them.’”

The scarcity of the Clickers, and the tension it elicits in the television version, also plays into some of the differences the creators were challenged by between the different mediums. In the game version, players want to have multiple encounters and test their skills while engaging with stealth and combat mechanics. But too much action in a show could feel repetitive.

“When you have an action sequence, it should be singular. So, one of the things we talked about was the role of action in the show and our belief that we would appreciate the action moments more if they were each unique, separate and apart from each other, each one of them impacting the story directly in a very clear way and either being very small or very big,” executive producer Craig Mazin said.

And there’s one mechanical element in particular that the show’s creatives had to consider when adapting action to TV: they can’t have characters healing as often as players can.

“The other issue with the show where we had to do things differently than the game is games have healing mechanics and healing doesn’t work quite that way on television. It’s just, we can’t crouch, bandage, you know, and be fine. So, violence has a different impact. Smaller bits of violence do a lot more damage, and the damage lasts much, much longer or permanently,” Mazin said.

A shift from game to television also necessitates a change in the choreography of a sequence like this. Viewers don’t need to be taught combat or stealth mechanics like players do, and so the ways in which the characters behave can also be changed to better suit the goals of a scene.

“We don’t just want Joel to sit there and say, 'Okay, this is what happens.’ In the game, we actually had to do that because we wanted to make it very clear what those mechanics are. Here, we can go, ‘Okay, let’s do it in a very cinematic way with no dialog,’” Druckmann said. “So, Joel’s putting his finger to his mouth and pointing to the ear and trying to explain to Ellie what they need to do, why it’s so important to be quiet and then demonstrate what happens when you’re not. That became really important.”

Action, in general, marked a major difference in philosophy between mediums.

“In the game, you need to have enough action for mastery of mechanics so you can connect with the characters, you get into a flow state,” Druckmann said. “With the show, every action sequence, our approach was, 'How do we make it character driven?' Something needs to happen with the characters. They can’t be purely about spectacle. And in this [Clicker] sequence, up until that point, Ellie is really connected to Tess. Only when she’s forced to does she talk to Joel, and it feels like it’s an effort for her to ask him questions. They don’t like each other, but this sequence forces them together and forces Joel to protect her in a way that he didn’t want to, but he can’t help himself.”

In whatever medium, the action of The Last of Us brings to a head the tension, emotions, and themes of the world through every encounter. And the Clickers themselves represent the work of members across Naughty Dog’s development team working together to bring a frightening, but true-to-the-world adversary to life. For those wanting to test their mettle against the Clickers and many other Infected, The Last of Us Part I is currently available on PlayStation 5, and available for pre-purchase on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store until its release on March 3. The Last of Us airs on HBO and streams on HBO Max.

To help us understand how that sequence came to be, and how its legacy lives on today, members of the Naughty Dog team and HBO show spoke about the work undertaken originally to create such an evocative opening, how The Last of Us Part I brings the sequence to fresh life, and what it's like to bring the moment to live action. And to learn more about The Last of Us, check out our deep dive into how The Last of Us' Clickers were made, and how HBO producers adapted TLOU's action.

Spoilers ahead if you haven’t played or watched The Last of Us!

The End Is the Beginning

While the introduction is also The Last of Us’ first chance to leave an impression on the player, the Naughty Dog team obviously iterated and adjusted this sequence throughout development. One of the most significant among those? Players would have, for a time during development, had control of Joel much earlier.

“The beginning of the game was one of the last things we got finalized when we were making The Last of Us,” Naughty Dog President and The Last of Us Co-Director Neil Druckmann said. “For a long time, the plan was to play as Joel, not to play as Sarah, and you as Joel would hear commotion over at your neighbor’s house, you would walk over there, you’d see they’re infected. Then you’d head back and grab your daughter...and then everything else [in the final game] was how it was planned.”

But starting the adventure and experiencing all that through Joel’s perspective felt... familiar to the team. In wanting to differentiate the story from others in its genre, the idea of playing as Sarah came up during a design brainstorm. With that, “everything kind of fell into place” according to Druckmann.

“That felt like a really unique take on [this story]. The fact that you’re seeing it through a very innocent child made everything creepier, scarier, and that became the north star,” he continued. Having that defined perspective affected the entire team’s approach to bringing that introduction to life.

"There always had to be a reason for what you heard, and there always had to be an emotion tied to it,” SIE Senior Sound Director and Lead Audio on the original The Last of Us Phil Kovats said, noting Sarah’s perspective allowed the devs to evoke that authentic emotion as Sarah wakes up on a dark, mysterious night.

“She didn’t know anything bad was happening, but she couldn’t find her dad," Kovats explained. “That feeling of disconnection and worry had to be portrayed, [so we had] stark, quiet sounds mixed with, say, the TV that was loud, [or] the explosion that shook the room. ...Everything was there to create this uneasy tension that was palpable at that moment.”

That’s also true of the immensely important art direction for a sequence like this. Before Sarah awakens in confusion late into the night, she gets to spend a bit of time with her dad, and we see her and Joel bond. It’s a moment paramount to conveying the emotions the developers hope players feel as the entire sequence plays out.

“In the beginning of that game, it was very important to build the relationship of Joel and Sarah,” Art Director Erick Pangilinan said. “During that [sequence], we wanted to keep the lighting very warm, to keep them looking closer and to build that relationship together. Our lighting is very soft, with a more homey feel, and then when things go bad, we move the lighting a little further. When you do that, you create tension, you create longer shadows, you create more contrast in the scene, you put the player in darkness, and you push the player toward the light.”

Pushing the player toward that light pushes Sarah to any shred of hope in a world quickly descending into chaos. Joel eventually comes home, and the gravity of the night begins to creep its way into Sarah’s life, as Joel, Sarah, and Joel’s brother Tommy hit the road in search of safety. In such an economical sequence, every minute is essential to conveying story, character, and plot to the player, but in a way that feels earned and honest to the moment. As Tommy and Joel debate what to do and discuss the panicked state of the world, the player controls Sarah, with a 360-degree view as the trio drives...anywhere.

“Once you get into the car, you have the tension being raised by police cars going through with all their lights spinning around. You see all these vignettes, like the burning house, the headlights that shine on the family that’s being left, but the view is very claustrophobic,” Pangilinan noted of how the developers crafted the emotions of the scene.

“One of the most important things to show in that drive was the family that’s asking for help, and Joel saying, 'Don’t stop. We don’t know if they’re sick or not.’ And it’s at that moment, Joel shows you who he is,” Druckmann explained.

The drive culminates into a desperate run through town, in which Joel’s car is T-boned by another driver, and the severity of the moment ratchets up, while also providing the developers a chance to adjust the perspective of the scene.

“It’s in that commotion, all of a sudden, you come to, and you’re a different character, you’re breaking the window, and now you’re grabbing Sarah. Now you're the father instead of the daughter,” Druckmann said.

“[Because this level was completed near the end of development], the chaos of trying to finish the game made its way into the chaos of what was happening, and we felt that that really was the emotion, was confusion, chaos, being disjointed, not knowing what was going to happen,” Kovats explained.

The chaos heightens to a fever pitch as Joel carries an injured Sarah away from shouting civilians, growling infected, and raging fires. But just when he thinks he’s fleeing away from the scene, he’s held at gunpoint, with a soldier clearly receiving instructions to kill him. In a bid to protect his daughter, Joel turns just as the soldier fires, but, it’s not enough. Joel loses his world in a stark, brutal moment.

“The simplicity of Sarah’s death was actually really hard to get to,” Druckmann explained. “I had made the mistake of hyping up that scene to Troy [Baker], and just talking about how impactful it is because it sets the stage for the rest of the story. And then when we went to capture it, it always felt really big to me, like overly dramatic.”

While the performance was moving enough to cause some crew members to even need to walk off the set that day, while in the edit for the game, Druckmann realized the original take of the sequence wasn’t quite capturing what he wanted to. Thankfully, the team had another go at filming the sequence on the motion capture stage.

“I felt there was more to mine there. It could be even better. I had to swallow my pride because I feel my job as a director is to say when we got it, when we don’t got it, and I was like, 'I made a mistake. We should’ve kept going,’” Druckmann said.

And with a better understanding of what he wanted the sequence to convey, the team was able to find the honesty of the scene in this second go-round.

“When we were shooting it the second time, I was like, 'I don’t want you to focus on the tragedy of it. Really focus on the mechanics of what you’re going to do next. She’s hurt, where are you going to take her? First, you have to lift her. She’s in pain, okay, help her with the pain.’ And I just wanted to be as pragmatic as possible because the scene is already so sad, we don’t have to sell the sadness or the drama of it, just sell the mechanics of it. Everything else will happen naturally.”

Revisiting an Iconic Moment

Naughty Dog revisited this iconic opening, and the entirety of the first game, with The Last of Us Part I, currently available for PlayStation 5 and available for pre-purchase on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store ahead of its March 3 launch. With such an important sequence, as with the entire remake, the team sought to honor the original story being told and the gameplay experience being delivered, enhancing it with modern technology to bring out the emotion of the sequence as much as possible.

“The [original game] holds up very well emotionally, but with what we’re able to do with the new rigs, with the new facial set up, [the team] could really push it to the absolute limits that we’ve done,” Bryant Wilson said.

“Now, you can see the intensity on Joel’s face when he’s telling Tommy to keep them safe. He can see Tommy pleading with them to just run as he’s holding the door back from a bunch of infected. There’s a deeper emotional connection you get just watching these smaller animations that you maybe didn’t quite feel quite as significantly the first time around.”

All the work done on Part I comes back to bringing forth that emotional honesty in the sequence, but in greater detail and nuance than ever before. That can mean everything from the vignettes Joel, Tommy, and Sarah pass by in their car to the cacophony that greets them in town and the way non-player characters react to the horror around them.

“They’re reacting to their environment in a way that’s much more realistic than what we had in the original,” Wilson explained.

And, of course, bringing forth the emotion of those final moments even further while preserving the work that had been originally done was key for the team.

“We wanted to keep everything backlit, and we wanted that light to focus on you and have stronger silhouettes,” Pangilinan explained. “And we wanted that soldier to be far away from you to create that distance and coldness so that you can’t read what he’s going to do, but you know that there’s that danger. That intensity of those harsh shadows keep that final moment very intense.”

And this whole sequence is one that, 10 years later, Druckmann, along with executive producer Craig Mazin, has revisited in an entirely new way with The Last of Us on HBO. While viewers will know by now (though, spoiler alert if you haven’t yet watched!) that many of the familiar beats longtime fans would expect are there, the first episode of the HBO series spends more time outside of this night, and finds new ways of evoking the tension and horrors of this sequence.

“I think Neil and I were both excited by the idea that we could actually add a little bit more context to Joel and Sarah’s relationship and explore just a little bit more with Sarah,” Mazin said. “What we couldn’t do was give the audience the feeling that I had, and every player I assume had, when they first started playing the game, where you are Sarah, and you wake up, and you can’t find your dad, and you go downstairs, and that, we couldn’t give them that, not in the same way.”

We see more of Joel and Sarah, and their relationship, leading up to those fateful moments.

"Let’s show them waking up, let’s show them having breakfast, let’s show Sarah going to school, Sarah going to get her dad’s watch fixed, more hints of the outbreak,” Druckmann explained of their approach. “But more important than that was to build these characters out even further, specifically Sarah and specifically her bond with Joel.”

Another difference the show delivers is more time spent with Tommy and coming to better understand him pre-outbreak. Some of those elements weren’t there originally, but came about when Druckmann and executive producer Craig Mazin and their team had reshoots for the pilot.

“That breakfast scene [in the premiere] is one of those scenes that initially when we shot it, Tommy wasn’t there, and we had a budget to reshoot some of the stuff in the pilot, and that’s one of those ideas that we came up with,” Druckmann said. “We got him into that breakfast scene, and that phone call where Joel has to bail him out of jail, that was part of the reshoot as well.”

“You see pretty quickly that Tommy’s more than capable of taking care of himself, in fact, it’s Tommy who saves Joel’s life [in the premiere],” Mazin said. “And that interesting concept of who needs saving and who’s going to do the saving is a theme that we will bring up over and over and over.”

Those additions were essential for the actors too, who saw solidifying this family bond from the get-go as a major factor of the show and, in particular, Joel and Tommy’s relationship.

“I wanted to put into the balance of what Joel isn’t that Tommy is. This family we meet very early in the show, and, of course, we meet in the game, you want to give them life, you want to give them the realistic sense of family and love and what these guys are to each other,” Gabriel Luna, who plays Tommy on The Last of Us, said. “I’m the younger brother that’s always needling him and keeping him on his toes, but I’ll also be the guy that is always there. No matter how much crap we give each other, he can always call on me, and I can always call on him when I get in a pinch.”

And for the actor behind Joel, Pedro Pascal, understanding the heart and emotion behind this entire opening is essential to his, and the audience’s, understanding of who Joel is.

“Joel’s loss is, I think, the centerpiece of his existence as a character because I think he dies with his daughter, and, as he sees it, staying alive is really an empty function,” Pascal said. “And I don’t think that he sees himself, which makes him capable of really dark things because I don’t think that he sees himself as human without being in the light of the love of his daughter, meaning something to somebody.”

Both the ways in which the show follows the blueprint of the game, while also finding space to find new pathways to explore the world further solidifies what is at the heart of The Last of Us, no matter the medium – its characters.

“I could really relate to this guy that doesn’t really feel like celebrating his own birthday, and the idea of his whole world is it’s a small one. It’s his daughter and his brother, and we don’t really know anything else outside of this small family that is everything to him until the world at large completely starts to come apart,” Pascal said.

One of the premiere’s most harrowing moments is, of course like the game, Sarah’s death. And though Druckmann came to the show with an understanding of what did and didn’t work for the game’s version, Mazin, who directed the debut episode, explained how the TV version came with its own unique challenges.

“We were shooting it in the summer. It was early on, and we’re far north in Calgary. That means the nights are short. So, the second the sun goes down, you’re working really hard to make sure that you get what you need,” Mazin said. “We also had a blood rig and things [you] don’t have to worry about when you’re making video games... All of this stuff is going on, plus fighting wind and everything [else]. And in the center of all that chaos, you have just two people trying to perform a moment.”

Mazin praised the work actors Pedro Pascal and Nico Parker did to bring this essential scene to life.

“There’s something about Nico, particularly when it was pain, fear, all these negative emotions that I think a lot of people find hard to portray, she just accessed them instantly, and it was remarkable to watch,” Mazin said. [And] Pedro did this beautiful thing where he just lets his denial coast until it’s no longer tenable, and then he just goes somewhere. My favorite little moment of that is the very last one...he’s holding her, and then his eyes just go really big, like he just, in that second, realized, 'Oh, no,' and then, boom.”

Watching the sequence unfold in a new way through the TV show offers new and old fans a chance to gain a new perspective on the events that change Joel’s life forever. For longtime players and potential new ones interested in experiencing this sequence, and the full story, firsthand, The Last of Us Part I’s improvements honor the weight and emotion of Joel, Sarah, and Tommy’s stories while bringing this classic story to new life, offering the most immersive and technically advanced way to play.

The Last of Us Part I is currently available on PlayStation 5, and available for pre-purchase on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store until it’s release on March 3. The Last of Us airs on HBO and steams on HBO Max. Be sure to check out the second entry in our Building The Last of Us series to find out about the origins and legacy of TLOU's Clickers.

A very Happy New Year to all our players! We here at Naughty Dog couldn’t be more excited to jump into 2023, as it marks an important milestone for The Last of Us franchise.

The Last of Us turns 10 this coming June, and though that decade feels like it flew by, we have treasured every moment of your support and love for this series since it debuted. The beautiful fan art, the incredibly detailed cosplay, the letters of support about what these games have meant to you, and everything else that has poured in over this last decade: thank you! Thank you for supporting this story our studio believes in so deeply. Our team could never have imagined over a decade ago that the kernel of what was The Last of Us would have such a profound impact on our lives, and the lives of so many of you out there.

We are so proud to share that the entire The Last of Us franchise has sold through more than 37 million copies globally as of December 2022, and is continuing to reach new and old players every day. To know that Joel, Ellie, and our whole cast of characters have been experienced and loved by so many of you drives the entire studio forward.

Even as it turns 10 years old, it feels like The Last of Us has only just begun, and this busy year will certainly show why. After The Last of Us Part I’s successful launch on PlayStation 5 last year, we can’t wait to bring you the PC version on March 3! We’ll have more information on the PC version’s features and specs ahead of its launch.

We’re looking ahead to The Last of Us’ 10th anniversary in June, and we’re so excited to share more with you about the future of this franchise. We’ll have some fun surprises for you along the way, but later this year we will begin to offer you some details on our ambitious The Last of Us multiplayer game. With a team led by Vinit Agarwal, Joe Pettinati, and Anthony Newman, the project is shaping up to be a fresh, new experience from our studio, but one rooted in Naughty Dog’s passion for delivering incredible stories, characters, and gameplay. We first shared concept art of the project with you last year, and we hope this new piece of concept art below further excites you for what our team is working on.

And of course, The Last of Us’ TV adaptation will be premiering on HBO and HBO Max in just a few days, January 15. Knowing that the television series will be a thrilling moment for old and new fans alike (and, of course, for all of us here at Naughty Dog), we thought this was an excellent time to reflect on the incredible work our developers at Naughty Dog have accomplished. Over the course of The Last of Us show’s season, we’ll have an exciting inside look into the original The Last of Us, Part I, and its adaptation to television with exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes looks at the process in order to offer you a deeper appreciation for the work that went into your favorite characters, locations, and moments.

It has been an unbelievable 10 years, and to know the journey of our characters has meant so much to so many of you moves our team. Thank you for your support and appreciation for the work our teams do. We hope you’ll continue to follow us along this road, just don’t forget to pack a brick or bottle.

Until next time, endure and survive,

Neil

Elden Ring

Arne Meyer, Vice President

I know Elden Ring will be a popular choice this year, but if you have heard me talking about playing games this year or looked at my 2022 PlayStation Wrap-Up, it won't come as a surprise I'm fully on this hype train. So much of what draws me to Elden Ring is the layers of narrative and world building that get richer the more you dissect the visual references, listen to character dialog, and read item texts. Connecting so many complex elements to metaphors of trees, to say the least, is just stunning in the attention to detail and volume of deliberate work required. The addition of Torrent and the ability to explore massive areas of the game not far into playing hooked me right from the start. I loved taking my time to just travel through spaces and soak in the different, vast environments all while making mental notes of more difficult enemies I knew I would come back to.

I haven't even said anything about the mechanics! FromSoftware did a lot in their continuous learning and refinement of their combat mechanics and systems from their previous games. I loved trying out different weapons and different builds at any point to find my own satisfying way to play. Even though I'm not one to go deep into NG+, Elden Ring will be a game in steady rotation. Fantastic work Miyazaki-san and team!

Jeremy Yates, Animation Director

My favorite game of 2022 is still Elden Ring. As someone who has given much of his life to animation, I could appreciate the devotion, wild creativity, and attention to detail that went into the creation of every encounter. From the originality of Godrick’s second phase to the moment you descend a strange lift to see the Siofra River for the first time, Elden Ring gave me an experience that I simply did not want to end. I could go on about the vast world the developers created, the edge-of-your-seat combat, or the hours of fun I had co-op’ing a tough boss…but I will say that what FromSoftware did with this game is nothing short of a masterpiece and should be regarded as such.

Gran Turismo 7

Christian Gyrling, Vice President

I was really impressed with Gran Turismo 7. I ended up driving and perfecting my cornering until the wee hours, day after day. It's a game that’s hard to put down and offered so many ways to customize the difficulty to allow me to grow as a driver in the more challenging circuits as I continued to spend hours playing. I am sure that the holiday break will bring me back to the circuits for many more hours of fun.

Marvel Snap

Matthew Gallant, Game Director

As a longtime digital card game enthusiast, I've been completely enamored with Marvel Snap. The streamlined turn-based mechanics and condensed game length are laudable design innovations in the genre. But the real genius of Marvel Snap is the addition of the three, slowly-revealed random locations, which gives each match a unique flavor and rewards skillfully playing around uncertainty. Hats off to Second Dinner on its debut release!

OlliOlli World

Rochelle Snyder, Communications Lead

The absolute vibes OlliOlli World put out into the universe this year have been immaculate. I cannot think of a game I spent more time with, or had more fun playing in 2022. I chose to boot this game on my Nintendo Switch, and I have zero regrets – it’s the perfect platform for a Candyland-like approach to a dreamscape skateboarding sim.

Not only did I sink countless hours on my couch to it, but I took OlliOlli World all over the world traveling. Had a break at GDC? I was mastering that 720 stalefish spin transitioning into a slick grind, while high fiving the local ice-cream headed natives in Sunshine Valley. A few free minutes at PAX? You could catch me scooting through Radlandia on a “gnarly route” absolutely loving the stylish art and musical accompaniments that Roll7 took care to include. Vacation with the S.O? Bet I’m pushing off touristy things to flowride as a genderless banana in hot pink boots, slapping palms with a dude with a Starfish head (sorry about that, hon). Give this game your money, your time, your attention - it's fantastic, complex, and a totally unique build on the OlliOlli franchise.

God of War Ragnarök

Theo Tanaka, Senior Quality Assurance

Very few games grab hold of me, make me play every day, and leave me satisfied like God of War Ragnarök did. It has a great mix of good combat, skills, and equipment progression, built into satisfying levels, and a deep narrative that has a real purpose. Every beat of the latest God of War is engaging, every character has their own little arc, and it's great to see Kratos as this aged warrior who wants nothing but to protect his son. I had some truly cathartic moments with this game, so good!

Rollerdrome

Jonathon Dornbush, Editorial Content Manager

Somehow the incredible teams over at Roll7 delivered two of my favorite games of 2022 between OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome. I loved both but wanted to give a special shoutout to Rollerdrome as a brand-new franchise but one that comes fully formed from the jump. A mix of roller skating and arena combat shooters, Rollerdrome takes two disparate ideas and meshes them beautifully. I found myself always improving, always learning more nuance, as I chased high scores and arena-specific missions. The layers of Rollerdrome's mechanics extend to its setting, gorgeously depicted (and brought to life by an incredible soundtrack) and filled with more intriguing worldbuilding than I expected. But even if you're just in it to look stylish and pull off cool tricks, Rollerdrome's core is so fun and fresh you may find yourself playing for weeks like I have.

Stray

Yang Liu, Cinematic Lighting Artist

I was first stunned by Stray’s elegant lighting design, which is not only beautiful, but intelligently used to lure players. The verticality and interactivity in each level also amazed me, as I was never lost and found myself having so much fun exploring everywhere and wanting to poke everything (just like a cat!). That the developers at BlueTwelve Studio were able to make you feel, experience, and think like a cat is an impressive achievement.

El Trofimova, Character Artist

Stray was beautiful, short, and fun to play. Adult life is hard and when there’s little time to play so many games, turning into a cat in a dystopian world for a little while was a great distraction. Purrfect game, [it] took just a few short sessions to finish. Best of all, our cat loved it too, and watched us play from start to finish. 🐾

Valorant

Kurt Mendoza, Senior Localization Manager

Valorant was incredibly hard to put down this year. There's a very steep learning curve but it's super satisfying to see yourself make improvements.

Horizon Forbidden West

Joy Liberatore, Senior Quality Assurance

I loved playing Horizon Forbidden West and adventuring with Aloy again! As a San Francisco Bay Area native, it was extra fun playing in the post-apocalyptic version of the city I know and exploring this version of the Sierra Nevada. The art direction was rich and gorgeous; I spent the first 10 minutes of playing just admiring the vegetation! I loved seeing Aloy's character growth as she became a part of a community.

Signalis

J Dietrich, Accessibility Quality Assurance

I can't get Signalis out of my head; everything about this game was fresh and new with the right amount of Survival Horror Nostalgia vibes. The story is unlike anything I've ever seen, and I'll remember this narrative for the rest of my life. 10/10 beautiful, fun. and delightfully challenging!

Sifu

Ray Hayse, Recruiting Coordinator

It's gotta be Sifu for me; Sloclap started 2022 with a bang! It was challenging but the learning curve wasn't brutal, I felt right at home after a few runs. It was one of the first Platinum trophies I added to my collection this year!

Paul Bishai, Game Designer

Sifu's combat has a lot of elegant design behind it and every level is packed with unique themes and shapes.

Bloom

Julian Elwood, Environment Artist

This year I finally got my Playdate console, a tiny, hand-held, one-bit console with a crank. Bloom, a game developed for Playdate is probably the game that stands out the most to me this year. Between the epic AAA experiences we all love, I kept coming back to Bloom, a real-time, Tamagotchi-style game about a flower shop owner who, under the pretense of being in college, has secretly opened up a small business growing and selling flowers.

This charming little story unfolds through the texts you receive at real time intervals throughout the day. I found myself checking my Playdate as I would check my own messenger apps, awaiting new developments in the life of myself as a flower shop owner. I scraped by, lied to my parents, fought with my partner, all to make the dream of this flower shop a reality. This small one-bit game that consists of functionally, two background images and one menu, delivers a riveting experience and emotional performance from a vibrant cast of characters! I was blown away. Bloom and just the existence of the Playdate really excites me from a game design perspective.

Happy New Year!

Before we sign off for the year, we want to give a massive thank you to the developers who created these amazing games. To our fans, thank you for your continued support, and for playing any of our adventures new and old over the last year. We can’t wait to share all the exciting things to come in 2023 with you.

We’ve been anticipating this launch for a while now, and we know many of you have as well. We’re thrilled to be bringing The Last of Us to PC for the first time. If you didn’t catch our reveal trailer at The Game Awards, be sure to watch it below.

We were so honored by the reception of The Last of Us Part I when it debuted on the PS5 earlier this year, and we can’t wait to welcome new and returning players on Joel and Ellie’s unforgettable adventure, newly optimized and enhanced for PC. We’ll have more information about The Last of Us Part I’s PC specs and features closer to release, so please look forward to more ahead of the March launch.

“The development of The Last of Us Part I on PC provided us with an opportunity to open our game in new ways.” The Last of Us Part I Game Director Matthew Gallant said.

“We learned a lot from the development of UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PC earlier this year, and we can’t wait to make The Last of Us Part I at home on the PC as well.”

To ensure you can play The Last of Us Part I soon as it is released on March 28, 2023, you can pre-purchase on both Epic and Steam.

The Last of Us Part I Standard Edition ($59.99)

Pre-purchase on Epic Games Store

Pre-purchase on Steam

If you pre-purchase The Last of Us Part I on PC, you will receive the following in-game items:

• Bonus Supplements to upgrade your skillset

• Bonus Weapon Parts to upgrade your arsenal

“I’m so excited for new players to journey across America with Joel and Ellie. Not only will they get to experience this beloved story for the first time, but they’ll be playing a game that takes full advantage of modern hardware and incorporates many of the features and improvements we’ve made in the decade since the game was originally released,” Matthew Gallant said.

The whole Naughty Dog team is so ecstatic PC gamers will soon experience the story that has captivated audiences for nearly a decade. It’s been a long time coming, and we so appreciate your enthusiasm and passion for the opportunity to play one of our most beloved titles. Thank you, and if you are embarking on this journey for the first time or re-living it again, remember: Look for the light.

This story has been updated to reflect The Last of Us Part I PC's new release date.

While it’s been 15 years since we introduced Nathan Drake to the world, for some of our veteran studio members, they still remember our pioneering adventure into creating a realistic, third-person action-adventure title like it was yesterday. So, to celebrate the long-enduring legacy of UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune, we asked some of UNCHARTED’s original developers to reflect on heart-pounding moments, lessons learned, and the impact UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune had on the studio.

What’s one of your favorite memories from working on UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune?

Evan Wells, President: It's hard to believe how late in the development we decided to switch to a third-person aiming mechanic for the gunplay. It couldn't have been more than nine months before we shipped that we were still trying to make a lock on mechanic work. It literally was a game-changer, but it left us very little time to rework our combat setups. That being said, we didn't have a lot of working setups to begin with [at that time], so it actually made the remaining work easier to complete. A lot of UNCHARTED came together in those last nine months.

Erick Pangilinan, Art Director: UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune was a significant transition for Naughty Dog. As a studio, UNCHARTED pushed us out of our comfort zone of doing these stylized fantasy platformers like Jak & Daxter or Crash Bandicoot. It made us rethink all our systems and grow as a team to tackle more complex problems. My favorite memory was working on the Spanish fortress to establish the quality bar of UNCHARTED. We had to redo this level several times from scratch to get the right look and construction process. Ultimately, it became our vertical slice and ended up being featured on a magazine cover with Elena being a brunette!

Neil Druckmann, President: As UNCHARTED was starting to come together, whenever we got a new area or mechanic up, we would call others to our desk to playtest it. There would be a bunch of us huddled around a monitor watching, waiting. Then the discussion would start. What worked. What didn't. There was an energy around the studio that we were making something special. The passion and excitement was infectious.

Christian Gyrling, Vice President: I joined Naughty Dog about one year before UNCHARTED: Drake's Fortune was released. At the time, I was working on enemy behavior and their animations. I remember how the whole studio was rallying behind a single focus point to test out the experience of playing UNCHARTED. That level will forever be seared into my memory... Jungle-A-2.

Jeremy Yates, Animation Director: My fondest memory was working on Jungle-A-2 (Jungle Area 2), which was the short combat section about 10 minutes after Drake and Elena crashed their plane. It was one of the first levels in production that eventually evolved into our vertical slice, from which we determined the core gameplay loop of UNCHARTED. The area was peppered with old ruins of a stone structure and consisted of climbing, low cover, high cover around a number of arched columns, a traversal puzzle, explosive barrels, and pirates to fight. We spent several months developing that small arena, continuously fleshing out every player and enemy mechanic until we knew we had something really special. We built everything from scratch, including our animation tools and really, the entire pipeline. It was a fun time of challenges and discoveries.

Travis McIntosh, Programming Director: Near the end of the first Uncharted, many of the climbing sections were only sketched in. As they were finished, I would need to sit with the animators and code each new type of climb or jump that was made, implementing them as needed one at a time. It was hectic and last minute, but it was also thrilling, as we knew we were making something spectacular.

What scene or moment do you most love from UNCHARTED: Drake's Fortune?

Jeremy: If I had to pick one moment, it would be when the player shot the barrel from the back of a jeep, causing it to explode, flip into the air, and land between two rock columns, creating a temporary bridge for the player to cross. This essentially was our first “set piece” in the UNCHARTED world. By today’s standards, this kind of moment wouldn’t even be considered a big deal, but for us back in 2007, it planted a seed for what we could do to create cinematic moments during gameplay. The rest is history, as this little idea expanded exponentially each game, so much so that we formed an entire department on our animation team solely dedicated to creating these moments. Ultimately, giant action set pieces emerged as one of the signatures of the UNCHARTED franchise.

Erick: The one that sticks out in my head is when Nate and Elena were flying to the island. Their plane was shot down by pirates and they had to jump out of a burning plane. I really like that sequence because it is a classic pulp fiction action sequence that reminds me of Indiana Jones. The dialogue between Elena and Drake is so campy and lighthearted that it’s really fun to watch. Several departments were involved in making this scene, so there was a lot of love poured into this moment.

Evan: There are many moments from UNCHARTED that I love, but if I had to pick one it would have to be one with Eddy Raja. He's still one of my favorite characters from the franchise. He's an obvious villain in UNCHARTED, but it's clear that he and Nate have a history where they weren't always on opposite sides.

Christian: I love when you come across the submarine in the middle of the jungle. It's such a surprising moment.

What were some of the biggest lessons you learned during UNCHARTED: Drake's Fortune's development?

Evan: The transition the studio made from hand-keyed animation to mocap was a huge lesson for us. The work that went into performance capture for our cutscenes set the standard for the industry so there was no blueprint to follow - we just stumbled along and learned as we went. In fact, on UNCHARTED: Drake's Fortune, we still weren't shooting mocap on a sound stage, so we had to ADR all the dialog on a second pass. We definitely learned that lesson, and in future games had a new stage built that would allow us to capture both the motion and the dialog simultaneously, which is now the standard way of doing things.

Jeremy: Embrace motion capture. When Naughty Dog initially started working on UNCHARTED, we were all coming from the very stylized and cartoony background of the Jak and Daxter franchise. This was our first time using motion capture, and it seemed incredibly expensive at the time. We shot almost all the mocap for gameplay in just a few days towards the beginning of production, hoping to cover everything we might need. Today, we are fortunate to have easier access to the mocap stage, so we shoot as needed in smaller chunks at a time. This helps remove much of the future guess work and makes it more likely to get it right the first time. Creating motion on the stage has become one of our favorite aspects of production.

Neil: From a gameplay standpoint, we were just figuring out verticality in combat and how to build spaces that leveraged Nate's traversal mechanics. We were also learning how to tell an intimate character-driven story in gameplay. Those early baby steps set the stage for what UNCHARTED 2 became!

Travis: I learned a lot about what it takes to polish a game to perfection. Although Drake's Fortune was arguably the least polished of any of the UNCHARTED games, it was still the most polished game I had ever made. Seeing the reaction it got, and how important the attention to detail was to our players, really made an impression on the whole team, myself included. It drove a lot of our decisions about what was acceptable going forward and made us want to push ourselves to produce finer and more focused work in later games.

Any personal or behind-the-scenes moments that really stick out to you when you think about the original UNCHARTED's development?

Jeremy: Creating our E3 2006 first reveal trailer was a particularly intense and exciting period of production. We were just starting to get the overall tone of UNCHARTED figured out. We wanted to use the opportunity to give the world a sneak peek of what we were working on for Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 3 console. We created a montage of moments that helped us set the bar both visually and thematically for the project. We were honestly just winging it, as we still had so much to learn and discover before actually turning this into a playable game. Most of what we showed was built and animated by a relatively tiny team over just a month or so before the debut. We hadn’t even settled on a title yet so for the audience, UNCHARTED was just referred to as “Naughty Dog.” The graphical jump from PS2 to PS3 was huge, and everything we were trying to do was uncharted territory. It was definitely an adventure in and of itself.

Neil: When UNCHARTED was starting out, I was actually on another project... a Jak and Daxter sequel for the PSP. I would constantly open the UNCHARTED folder on the network and see how the concept art or the teaser trailer were coming along. I was enamored with this ordinary man in a shootout in the middle of the jungle.

Travis: [I remember] sitting down with [fellow teammates] as we tried to figure out what the shooting mechanics of UNCHARTED would be. We started with lock-on aiming, no camera control, and clunky as all get-out target switching, like the Jak and Daxter franchise. We ended up with an actual shooter. We were a smaller studio then, and it felt like we were just a bunch of friends hanging around at someone's computer working out what would be cool. It was one of the most formative experiences of my career.

What does it mean to you to see the UNCHARTED franchise become so important to players since Drake's Fortune’s debut?

Erick: Nathan Drake has come a long way since being called “Dude Raider” but despite the early comparisons, we knew UNCHARTED was special and we just had to own the world we created. It felt like our studio grew up and had burst through new levels after each new release of UNCHARTED. Everyone on the team loved the franchise, and a lot of people joined us because they wanted to be part of this project. Until now, I get chills watching old trailers and demos we did, because those days were an exciting time to be a Naughty Dog.

Neil: It's such a joy whenever I attend some kind of fan con, seeing so many attendees dressed as characters from UNCHARTED. We made these games from inspiration of pulp action-adventure stories, movies, and other games. To see UNCHARTED have that kind of reach and impact is gratifying on a deeply personal level.

Christian: For me, UNCHARTED was a pivotal moment for Naughty Dog when we doubled down on story telling and bringing the player new emotional experiences that were uncommon in those days.

Travis: It is immensely satisfying. Moreso, because of how fun it was to make the original UNCHARTED. There were times, many times, during that game that we weren't sure Naughty Dog was going to be able to finish that game. It is still the hardest project I've ever worked on, and also one of the most satisfying. Seeing it come together, going from rough blockmesh to a finished project, the last few months of development was like witnessing a miracle.

Thank you for celebrating the 15th anniversary of UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune with us. UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection is the latest adventure in the series and is available now for the PlayStation 5 console and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Sic Parvis Magna.

As tabletop gaming fans may already know, Themeborne’s Escape the Dark series values cooperative and easy-to-understand gameplay. Themeborne’s games include some seriously beautiful black-and-white illustrated chapter cards that players work to resolve together, overcoming challenges and creating new paths each time they play so no two games are quite alike.

Having previously published Escape the Dark Castle and Escape the Dark Sector, Themeborne’s award-winning work has included multiple expansions for their base games, as well as successful Kickstarter campaigns behind them.

To learn much more about this fascinating take on Joel and Ellie’s adventure, look forward to The Last of Us: Escape the Dark’s Kickstarter campaign, which will be live on November 8, and will offer fans not only a deeper look at the game but also the chance to get their hands on an exclusive collector’s edition of the game. We hope you’ll check it out and be as excited as we are about what the Themeborne team has in store.

With Themeborne’s penchant for bold art and approachable game design going into the development of The Last of Us: Escape the Dark, we can’t wait to see how they realize the world of The Last of Us in a brand-new way.

To achieve that, we partnered with Iron Galaxy Studios to bring two of the most emotional and thrilling UNCHARTED adventures to a new platform with PC-centric quality-of-life features. We’re so thrilled new players can experience these two incredible stories, all in one great package. So with its launch, let’s reflect a bit on why this release is so meaningful to Naughty Dog, and how we hope it will continue to showcase our commitment to delivering unforgettable games, now to more players than ever.

Bringing UNCHARTED to PC

While PlayStation 5 remains our primary platform, we saw the possibility of bringing our games to PC as a great chance to reach a new massive, global audience. When considering what to debut on PC with, we looked through our catalog and decided the beautiful, globetrotting stories of the UNCHARTED series felt like a natural fit to introduce to players all around the world. Now, you may be wondering why we didn’t start with the original UNCHARTED. We felt that, while Nathan Drake’s first three adventures from the PlayStation 3 console still stand the test of time narratively, they would require a major overhaul visually to stand-up to modern PC releases and the expectations players may have.

The UNCHARTED franchise comprises standalone adventures that players new and old can jump into, and so while there’s still incredible stories and character development in those first three games, we felt players could easily dive into UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End and pick up Nathan, Elena, and Sully’s stories. Especially with the introduction of new characters like Sam Drake, Rafe Adler, and Nadine Ross, A Thief’s End offers so much to players regardless of their history getting into and out of trouble as Nathan Drake. And UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy, which is also included in the collection, offers a new playable protagonist in Chloe Frazer. Fans who know the original trilogy will be delighted to see her return, but newcomers will have no trouble understanding her wonderful story by starting with the collection.

And so, these two games, both developed on more modern hardware, and also receiving a remaster for the PlayStation 5 console, felt like perfect candidates to introduce the franchise, and Naughty Dog, to modern PC players. We also wanted to ensure we were providing players with a worthy value, and so we bundled both experiences together, offering an overall suite of PC features and customization options to suit as many players as possible.

We also knew this PC release wasn’t going to be a one-off. As you may already know, The Last of Us Part I is in development for PC following its successful launch on PlayStation 5, and with this being, ahem, uncharted territory for us, we knew we have a lot to learn about bringing our games to PC. But we were also determined to bring our careful consideration for every aspect of our games to this new version. So for the UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection, we deliberately partnered with Iron Galaxy because we saw in the studio not only a tremendous understanding of PC development we could learn from, but also a team that shared a love for our series as if it were their own. Iron Galaxy offered a partner we could trust would deliver a high-quality version of these two UNCHARTED games, and with whom we could work closely to better understand PC development while internally staying focused on current and future projects and bringing them to PC as well.

Lessons Learned

The UNCHARTED series’ PC debut is both thrilling and reflective, a chance for us to take the lessons learned about offering our games on a new platform, and the expectations and opportunities that go along with it. In learning so much through our partners at Iron Galaxy, we’re able to look ahead to the future of Naughty Dog games on PC more excitedly than ever.

First and foremost, we learned, particularly through our partnership, what it takes to bring our own engine to parity to deliver on PC hardware. UNCHARTED 4 and UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy are already beautiful games in their own right, and we wanted to maintain that quality in the PC release. But we still wanted to provide flexibility in fine-tuning an experience PC players expect, and so it was important for us to support more cinematic resolutions as well as specific PC graphical features. One of the biggest visual changes for UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection is Ultra-Wide Monitor Support*, which allows you to experience the UNCHARTED series’ breathtaking environments like Madagascar, the Western Ghats, and more like never before. But, with our cinematic cutscenes, we tested a host of graphical variations to see what worked best. Ultimately, we decided to actually add black bars to our cinematic scenes because, through all our iteration and testing, we determined that maintaining the original artistic intent and design of those bespoke scenes was paramount to the emotional experience.

The PC space is also one that offers users a ton of flexibility in hardware specs, controls, and more. As we’ve primarily only ever had to focus on considering one or two system specs in the past, this was simply eye-opening for us. Having primarily developed for console controllers, we had to learn about the preferences and flexibility keyboard and mouse controls offer, and we found that we had to re-evaluate certain game mechanics to fit the new input methods. For example, UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy features a tense lock-picking minigame that utilizes a controller’s analog stick and haptic feedback to help players unlock them. But without those features inherently on keyboard and mouse, we had to rethink the application of that mechanic.

We also needed to account for the variability of PC hardware as it pertains to data loading, and so we reworked our engine to add a "safety valve" of sorts to ensure a smooth gameplay experience across various PC specs. This isn’t something we’ve had to worry about since the Jak and Daxter days, when we added an animation of Jak stumbling if data was loading in too slowly.

Learning all of this through our partnership with Iron Galaxy Studios only helps to bolster Naughty Dog’s understanding of PC development, and allow us to deliver the quality you expect in our future releases. We’re excited to be offering The Last of Us Part I on PC in the future, and know that, moving forward, adding PC development to the way we develop games, which in no way undermines the importance of PlayStation 5 as our primary platform, will continue to benefit our team in the long run. As Naughty Dog has come to better understand hybrid and work-from-home development over the last few years, PC development offers our team flexibility in how, when, and where our games are created. Much like players can enjoy UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PC from a variety of PC builds, our developers can work on PC iterations on various pieces of hardware from home or in the office.

UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection’s PC release is a transformative pivot point for Naughty Dog. We not only have another chance to celebrate our bel oved franchise but also introduce it to so many new players. In doing so, we set the stage for Naughty Dog to deliver high-quality games on PlayStation 5, with the option of a PC release as well, with an understanding of how to cater to the different needs of both audiences now and in the future.

UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection has created a tremendous foundation of technology and learnings that will only benefit our future development. We’re grateful to our partners at Iron Galaxy Studios, and to our fans new and old, as we reach this important milestone for Naughty Dog.

*Compatible PC and display device required.

We’ve previously equipped aspiring treasure hunters with the PC features and specs so you can enjoy Naughty Dog’s UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End and UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy optimized for PC by Iron Galaxy Studios.

Whether the series is, well, uncharted territory for you, or if you’re a seasoned spelunker who’s survived crushing encounters, we thought the UNCHARTED series' PC debut offered a chance to look back on how these two adventures pushed the franchise forward. We unearthed some details about how Naughty Dog took a core pillar of UNCHARTED gameplay to brand new heights.

Climb Time

With UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End marking the franchise’s first original PlayStation 4 outing, the team saw a chance to push the franchise forward. Climbing is a prime example of that next-gen evolution; UNCHARTED 4 introduced a level of control players never had before while grounding Nathan Drake’s movements with stunning animations.

“With UNCHARTED 4, we wanted to add more depth to the climbing and look at it more realistically,” Animation Director Jeremy Yates explained.

A trip to an indoor climbing gym and lessons from an instructor early in production helped ground that endeavor. That trip resulted in some pretty meaningful lessons for UNCHARTED 4’s new climbing system. The team was equipped with firsthand experience and visual references to understand balance and weight placement, as well as the thoughtfulness that has to go into each movement.

“When we climbed on the wall ourselves, one of the first things we noticed was how much your weight is on your feet. That really translated into how the animations work,” Lead Game Designer Emilia Schatz said.

The team tried out a host of potential routes to take the system, from including a stamina bar to free-climbing that would allow players to scale a mountain in a route of their own choosing. There was a lot of fun and tension to be had, but the team needed to consider how climbing fit into the overall game.

“It almost became too complex. The important thing about any of our systems is we layer them with other systems. So while climbing itself may have been really amazing, we had to remember UNCHARTED 4 is not only a climbing game,” Schatz said.

With some of those systems stripped away, the focus came more clearly into view: leveraging climbing in UNCHARTED 4 to connect the player to Nathan Drake and eventually Chloe Frazer in UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy. And that meant giving players more control over UNCHARTED’s climbing than ever before.

Reaching Out

“We wanted to be able to give the player very fine control and complete analog control over where Drake places his hands. That's where the reach system was formed,” Yates explained.

The reach system in UNCHARTED 4 lets you do much more than simply hop from one handhold to the next along a clearly defined route. Using the left analog stick on the controller, the player can precisely direct how far and what angle Drake reaches out his hand. In practice, it looks fluid and realistic, but behind-the-scenes, there’s a clever system of rings that accounts for Drake’s possible moves. Many animations are needed to pull off each movement.

“That was a huge challenge to animate and design all those poses, and then from each of those [points], the delta between your base and wherever the handhold will be, that position might have a number of very specific animations,” Yates explained.

To ensure what was depicted in-game mirrored real life climbing terrain, the team constructed an adjustable rock wall in the mocap stage and captured parkour athlete Jesse La Flair going through the motions of Nate’s various movements.

“We replicated those rings, and there are holes pre-drilled in all those different positions so we could move handholds around easily…We had Jesse climb every conceivable combination we could give him,” Yates explained, noting that this allowed him to really ground the physicality of Drake’s motions.

To help achieve the reach system’s fluidity of movement, Principal Programmer Ryan Broner was among those working on getting this in-depth climbing system to function properly.

“The big change from UNCHARTED 3 was being able to hold onto two edges at once, and they could just be any distance apart,” Broner said. This meant work had to be done to ensure the upper body would move in the right direction, but, as the team learned at the climbing gym, the feet were also just as essential to consider.

“[We worked to have] the feet actually look for an edge instead of having them just dangling and swinging.”

“Ryan was...really getting full-body [inverse kinematics] working with all four limbs and your root and how they move together. That helped us create a much more organic system to climb on than we've previously been able to,” Yates said.

Imbuing climbing with more natural and variable movement also benefited making the actual paths Drake takes more dynamic and rewarding for the player.

“It allowed us to make more organic rock faces. It used to be that the distance you could move handholds from where Nathan Drake was [felt] pretty short,” Schatz explained. “In UNCHARTED 4, we were able to space those out, because Nathan Drake could reach quite a bit. By being able to space those out, we could make it so that the handholds themselves, visually, did not always imply a precise route. They were spaced out enough that you had to try it yourself and get used to how far his reach is.”

Not only are climbing routes more naturally embedded within the environment, but thanks to a set of tools the team worked with, more complex routes could be carved out to allow players creativity in how they wanted to progress.

“The organic integration into the wall was automated. What you see in-game…that’s dynamically placed,” Yates said, noting that background artists didn’t have to go in and virtually sculpt out each handhold’s spot. “In real time we could move the handholds around…It was so easy to add those handholds, so it was easier for us to develop what we called ‘Swiss cheese’ for some of these walls. We tried to give the player the ability to find their own path.”

Players can experiment with how they scale each stretch of rock or dilapidated building. Another way players have more agency over climbing is the piton. Born from the experimenting done with a more free-climbing system (you can see the idea of using two pitons at once below), the piton presents a bit of puzzle solving for the player to work through.

The pitons come into play as players hurtle toward specific walls, requiring the right timing and angle to hook the piton into the wall where they want to continue progressing.

“We want you to have creativity in how you can move around and place your handholds. You got a sense of, as a player, I need to decide ‘Where do I want Nathan Drake's piton to be so I can jump to this ledge over there,'” Schatz said. “The piton is a really cool thing we wouldn't have been able to do without the analog reach of Nathan Drake [introduced in UNCHARTED 4].”

With all the ideas the Naughty Dog team implemented – and the lessons learned from those they didn’t – UNCHARTED 4’s climbing offers more precise, analog control over Nathan Drake’s climbing than ever before. That implementation continued with UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy, which features Chloe Frazer as its protagonist while retaining all the work that went into Nathan Drake’s climbing mechanics. Lost Legacy allowed the team to integrate the piton, which features later in A Thief’s End, throughout more of Chloe’s adventure.

“We were really happy with how it turned out in Uncharted 4...and we were able to put it in a lot more in The Lost Legacy, and it was really able to come into its own there,” Schatz said.

Following the journey of this feature’s development, the team had some big takeaways.

“[UNCHARTED 4’s climbing showed] the importance of feedback in player systems,” Broner said. “In UNCHARTED 4, you push the stick, and even if you can't reach anything, you see the body start to move in a certain direction. Getting that feedback allows you to adjust to your intended direction in a way that feels natural, and makes you feel more connected to the character."

“We always really strive for the feeling of groundedness...because when that works really well, you identify more with the character, you're invested more with the character,” Schatz said.

Everything evolved about the climbing system, from the reach system to the piton to the sheer fluidity and realism of movement, allows players to become invested in UNCHARTED’s characters like never before. We hope longtime fans can appreciate this essential part of the UNCHARTED experience on a deeper level, and we’re so excited for newcomers to experience Nathan and Chloe’s climbing, combat, and much more.

UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection is available October 19, 2022 on Steam and Epic Games Store.

In our studio’s DNA, our games are connected by a mission to create impactful stories. With any partnership, we endeavor to impart that same spirit of storytelling and authenticity. Many of you have experienced an emotional journey playing The Last of Us Part II – the rumble of the controller, the beautiful sights, and the music and audio that make the world come together. Now, that experience has been masterfully translated into two senses that you can’t experience in modern games: taste and smell.

This project’s big question: how can this all-American story translate into Scotch whisky? Moth & Wolf is a special blend of 2013 vintage scotch whisky matured in American oak barrels. Eagle-eyed fans may note that 2013 is a pivotal year in the world of The Last of Us. It’s no coincidence that 2013 vintages were selected for the blend. Even the barrels’ American oak was specifically selected to hearken to the forests players navigated in The Last of Us Part II.

Additionally, we felt the game’s prominent theme of “Duality” would be powerful to translate into whisky. While duality is seen in myriad ways throughout The Last of Us Part II, the team was drawn to the contrast of two major locations in-game. From the homey comforts of Jackson, with sweet, smooth notes, to the characters’ struggles in overcast Seattle, with dark, smokey embers, the Blend Master went above and beyond to pair contrasting yet complementary flavors, creating a blend that’s as complex and layered as the story itself. To learn more about how The Last of Us Part II inspired the creation of Moth & Wolf, check out this video:

We aimed to make the packaging a special collectible for fans, even after they’ve enjoyed the last sip. The label features the Jackson fields against the Seattle skyline. The moth and wolf are powerful symbols in The Last of Us Part II, and we wanted to ensure that iconography was reflected not only in name but in the label’s compass itself.

“Having worked with Chivas Brothers for two years now, we are incredibly proud of Moth & Wolf,” says Naughty Dog’s Senior Designer of Brand, Marketing, and Product, Joshua Bradley. “They knew how much our game and world meant to us when we started, and to smell and taste the inspiration of that world turned into complex and bespoke flavors was something truly astounding. I have never quite experienced development of something this unique that stayed true to the material."

It’s truly surreal to “smell” and “taste” a story – and Moth & Wolf whisky wholly evokes the feeling of the story we captured in The Last of Us Part II. It’s been a privilege to have the passionate and talented team at Chivas Brothers and The Digital Spirits Project share their heritage and mastery of their craft with us. It has been an exciting journey developing Moth & Wolf, and we can’t wait to share this experience with The Last of Us fans across the United States.

For more information on Moth & Wolf, visit digitalspirits.com. Must be 21+ to enjoy. Please drink responsibly.

Cheers!

It’s no secret: we love Photo Mode. When we took a deeper dive with developers and Virtual Photography (VP) community members, we found that it’s not about simply grabbing a screenshot. The creative goals, the lighting, the model adjustments, the placement – just like traditional photography, so many elements are considered when capturing a memorable shot. More than anything, it delights us to see photographers’ personalities expressed through their Photo Mode shots. Learning what subjects people are drawn to is an absolute joy, and it’s a pleasure to see Photo Mode photographers’ passion and talent on display year-round. We adore watching your talent grow, and we love the joy that is shared among the community when sharing these photos.

For The Last of Us Day 2022, we asked Photo Mode fans to use #TLOUPhotoMode and tag us on Twitter and Instagram. We selected a few of our favorites for a digital scrapbook. And to help inspire you on your continuing virtual photography adventures, some of the Naughty Dog team contributed their personal Photo Mode shots, as well as some tips on how to compose beautiful photos of your own.

#TLOUPhotoMode Community Submissions

It is a consistent joy to look through all of the incredible Photo Mode pictures our community takes year-round, and it was particularly heartwarming to go through all of your wonderful submissions for this year’s TLOU Day Photo Mode community album. With photo modes in The Last of Us Remastered, The Last of Us Part II, and now The Last of Us Part I, we are so thrilled to see all the different locations, characters, and elements of our worlds you’ve beautifully captured with your collective virtual photography skills.

With that in mind, we’ve selected a few of our favorites from the many impressive photos you all took. Thank you to everyone who submitted this year, and please continue to share your favorite Photo Mode pictures with us on Twitter and Instagram.

Thank you to everyone who submitted! There were so many awe-inspiring submissions and talented Virtual Photographers. The featured Photo Mode submissions above are by: @coalabr14, @Ceraphyte, @andre_revolution, @amaphotomode, @1saiahmercado, @EclipsedFantasy, @fearnefilms, @gazdous, @KMBsVP, @jgoring90, @nahHermes, @NotTheBadTrump, @Photoingame, @TheJules13, @tlou_photos, @YouSpoonyBardd

Naughty Dog Photo Mode Tips

The Naughty Dog team doesn’t just love seeing your Photo Mode shots - we love taking our own, too! The feature is a favorite to use for many of us, as we get to explore and see our games in a new light even after years of working on them. And because we know how many of you out there love to take in-game photos, too, but may not know where to start, some of our incredible team have offered up their tips and tricks so that you’ll be taking photos you’re proud of in no time.

"Oftentimes, having a strong subject in your frame is a good way to get a strong photo. Here, we’re using the leading lines of the buildings and a strong backlit silhouette to draw focus to Joel as he balances along a plank. I also love using a more vertical frame like Film 2 to accentuate the tallness of the buildings, and using the Vintage filter to add a filmic look to match the frame." - Ryan Chan, Senior Cinematographer

"Capturing an action shot can be tough when trying to pause on that perfect moment. But Frame Forward is a great feature that allows you go frame by frame to help nail that ideal shot, whether it’s a lightning strike illuminating the sky or Joel stealthily taking out an infected. Adding Tilt is also a great way to add drama and tension to a photo by skewing the frame, and using a filter like Noir can help as well, by pushing the contrast and making the lighting feel even more dynamic." - Ryan Chan

"The Last of Us Part I is filled with beautiful environments and lighting. To capture your own landscape photos, using the Hide Characters feature under the Filter tab is perfect for removing any distracting subjects and making the level art the focus of your frame. Pressing R3 will toggle the Grid - a visual representation of what’s commonly known as the “Rule of Thirds.” Placing points of interest - such as an abandoned truck - along the grid lines or intersections, is a simple and surefire way to create appealing, balanced compositions." - Ryan Chan

"My absolute favorite new features in The Last of Us Part I Photo Mode are the new multi-light rig and the frame-forward. I use the frame-forward constantly to adjust the character pose, move out of an awkward stance, and especially to advance to an ideal facial expression. The new dynamic three-light system turns any frozen moment into a studio portrait. Being able to find a composition no matter the lighting conditions opens up a whole world of possibilities. I usually use one light for a neutral fill to bring out all of the character details; a second light for “bounce” to simulate light reflecting off surfaces and give the character additional color and highlights; and a third light is usually a rim light, positioned to one side to carve out the shape of the character and help them pop from the background. I combine these with a tight depth of field to isolate characters from background, and often with the camera roll to create a more dynamic composition, or for tall vertical compositions (great for cellphone wallpapers)." - Derek Chatwood, Senior Game Designer

"A strong silhouette will draw in the viewer’s attention to the area of interest. Try to keep your main subject dark and against a bright background, or vice versa. Also, that area of interest doesn’t have to be a character; it can be an object the character is holding, some plants in the foreground, something on a shelf… anything! I like to use the Noir filter to check if my silhouettes are strong before choosing another filter, and usually I like the results so much I stick with the Noir filter!" - Joy Liberatore, Senior QA Tester

"Tangents are when two edges of objects at different distances meet. For example, if Joel is aiming his gun, but the end of the gun is lined up with the edge of a door far in the background, that’s a tangent. With tangents, you can accidentally ruin the sense of depth to an image, and tangents also detract from strong silhouettes. While it’s impossible to avoid all tangents, try to avoid tangents that interfere with the focal point of your image." - Joy Liberatore

"We humans have eyes that will wander, always searching for something of interest. But good framing can prevent the eyes from wandering too far from your subject. For example, a photo of just Joel and Ellie with nothing else around them makes it difficult for the eye to wander; there’s really only one thing to focus on. But, if Joel and Ellie are surrounded by trees, infected, sprays of blood… the viewer might not focus on any one thing. Thankfully, there are a lot of ways to frame the focal point of your image. You can use the environment and other characters to guide your eye to the focal point. If the photo I’m taking is in an area with a lot of foliage, I’ll try to move the camera so the plants become an almost literal frame. Strong light and shadow can achieve the same effect. Or you can use Depth of Field to literally bring your focal point into focus! Try to use the natural setting of your photo to your advantage as you’re framing it." - Joy Liberatore

We hope you enjoyed these amazing photos from both our team and the community as much as we did. While we could only pick a handful of selects, be sure to check out the hashtag #TLOUPhotoMode to see even more incredible talent on display.

From all of us at Naughty Dog, Happy The Last of Us Day, and thank you so much.

In 2013, our studio released a new game, The Last of Us. While we felt immense pride in what we accomplished, we could never imagine that nine years later we’d still see new and seasoned players experiencing this game and sharing their passion for Joel and Ellie’s stories. This year in particular we’re honored to celebrate the franchise with The Last of Us Part I on PlayStation 5, a faithful remake of the beloved original. It not only offers returning players a chance to play Joel and Ellie’s journey in a modernized way but also introduces an entirely new generation of gamers to that original story. With advanced visuals and an expanded suite of accessibility features, and more, we’ve been delighted to watch new fans discover the game and longtime fans re-immerse themselves in the story that started it all.

And so, we’re humbled to see this outpouring of excitement for the franchise grow and stay strong nearly a decade later. So many of you have shared how much the series has impacted you, and it’s such a privilege to know that The Last of Us continues to resonate with players worldwide.

The Last of Us Day is our way of celebrating the incredible The Last of Us community who bring so much positivity, kindness, and joy, not only to us at the studio but to each other. For 2022, we have some surprises that we’re thrilled to share!

GIF Drop

With every game release, our animators select some of their favorite GIFs and recreate them using characters and scenery from our games. When The Last of Us Part I released, they brought forward this project, and to say we were excited would be an understatement. The opportunity to laugh, pay homage to some of our favorite TV shows and movies, and collaborate with artists of different disciplines to make these GIFs has truly been a delight. Thank you to everyone who contributed your talent and sense of humor to create these! Our feeds will never be the same again.

This year, the team not only created a batch of GIFs special for the release of The Last of Us Part I; they also continued the fun for The Last of Us Day 2022! Check out the full The Last of Us Day 2022 drop on GIPHY!

You can also see the entire collection of The Last of Us Part I animator-crafted GIFs in our Reacts of Us Part I GIF Collection on GIPHY.

Wallpaper

Artist David Blatt is an incredible community member that we’ve loved for years. Somehow, his art keeps getting better and better. We’ve had the privilege of working with David and seeing him leave his mark, illustrating the stunning key art for The Last of Us Part I. We’re forever fans of his work and thrilled to share a previously unreleased, black-and-white piece from his keyart set.

By the way, if David’s mom is reading this, know that we’re as proud of him as you are.

We love seeing his art, and we couldn’t resist the opportunity to share more. We’re excited to introduce a new mobile and desktop wallpaper featuring previously unreleased artwork from The Last of Us Part I.

Click the links below to select your wallpaper for your device of choice!

Mobile

1080 x 1920

Android Galaxy

iPhone 8+

iPhone Pro Series

Desktop

1920 x 1080

2560 x 1440

3840 x 2160

Tablet

Portrait

Landscape

Photo Mode Community Album

On Friday, September 23, we posted on our Twitter and Instagram about #TLOUPhotoMode, asking the virtual photography community to share their favorite shots from The Last of Us. A few incredible devs at the studio -- who are also major Photo Mode fans -- contributed their shots and tips & tricks as well! We received an incredible response, and you can check it out now on the Naughty Dog blog: The Last of Us Day #TLOUPhotoMode Collection.

Thank you for sharing your incredible talent!

We’re so humbled to celebrate The Last of Us community annually with #TLOUDay. To the edge of the universe and back – with all the gratitude and thanks to our incredible community – endure and survive.

A few words of thanks and appreciation from Game Director Matthew Gallant and Creative Director Shaun Escayg:

“Having the opportunity to remake one of the most beloved games of all time was both a tremendous honour and a daunting challenge. I am extremely proud of the work this team has done, remaining faithful to the original vision of The Last of Us while expanding it beyond what was possible on the original hardware.

If you’re a returning player, I hope you find new depths of emotion and humanity in the storytelling and experience new tension and intensity in the improved gameplay and combat. If you’re new to The Last of Us, I hope that Part I is the best way to begin your journey with Joel and Ellie, continuing forward into Part II and beyond.”

- Matthew Gallant, Game Director

“There is a deep sense of responsibility when remaking arguably one of the greatest games ever made. It’s a concert of emotions. Pride. Fear. Humility. Would we measure up? Could we make significant improvements that would both retain and heighten the core experience of the original? These questions weighed heavily on us as a team.

I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved. The Last of Us Part 1 sits effortlessly alongside Part 2.

For our existing and new fans, it’s my hope that you’ll find new and deeper emotional meaning to Ellie and Joel’s story. That you are invested in their journey, their struggle, and completely immersed in their world. That you fight for them. And ultimately, love them as we do”.

- Shaun Escayg, Creative Director

Endure and Survive,

Naughty Dog

We’re happy to share that The Last of Us Part II has sold through more than 10 million copies globally, as of this Spring. Knowing the support we have, our studio continues to see exciting, new avenues to introduce curious audiences and galvanize fans. With that opportunity in mind, let’s talk about the immense future of The Last of Us.

Standalone Multiplayer

It’s no secret that many of you are not only drawn to The Last of Us’ stories but also the game’s original Factions multiplayer. Since The Last of Us Factions’ release almost a decade ago, dedicated players have been vocal about an expansion upon that offering.

However, we can finally announce that we’re creating something much larger than a mode. We’re thrilled to share a piece of concept art from our upcoming multiplayer experience, which is an extremely ambitious undertaking. We’re growing our studio significantly to ensure we build this full-scale, standalone game, with its massive scope and immense world, in a way that fans have come to expect from The Last of Us and Naughty Dog.

We aim to make our newest entry into multiplayer inviting to new players while still a thrilling challenge for more of our seasoned fans. There will be more news to come next year, and we cannot wait to introduce you to the team behind this new experience!

The Last of Us on HBO

From the onset, our original vision for The Last of Us’ story was cinematic and character driven, and HBO enthusiastically continued the spirit of that same vision to bring this story to TV screens worldwide. Helmed by Craig Mazin, Creator and Writer of Chernobyl, in tandem with Executive Producer Carolyn Strauss and Neil Druckmann, the incredible cast and crew strove to ensure a faithful retelling of the story and its intricately detailed world.

In the spirit of collaboration and authenticity, Neil has taken on the roles of Executive Producer and Writer and also directed a full episode. Bringing The Last of Us to life has been a deeply creative collaboration between our studio and HBO.

The worlds of video games and television continue to overlap as Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, Ellie and Joel’s in-game actors respectively, join the cast in major roles. We cannot wait to see them on-screen along with new and longtime fans of The Last of Us.

The Last of Us Part I

The Last of Us released almost a decade ago on the PlayStation 3 console, and it’s left an indelible mark on our studio. Joel and Ellie’s story continues to be powerfully evocative with players worldwide, and we’re humbled these characters continue to leave an impression.

With leaps in technology and hardware that allow us to push the limits of the visual fidelity and interactivity, we’re thrilled to announce this complete remake of The Last of Us, releasing September 2, 2022 for the PlayStation 5 console and in development for PC.

We’ve implemented modernized gameplay, improved controls, and expanded accessibility options in this single-player experience to allow even more individuals to enjoy the game. Effects, exploration, and combat have all been enhanced. Leveraging the PS5’s powerful hardware, we also implemented 3D Audio*, haptics, and adaptive triggers. Both returning fans and new players alike will have the opportunity to experience both The Last of Us Part I and its prequel story Left Behind in a whole new way.

For this rebuild, Neil has passed the directorial baton to Game Director Matthew Gallant and Creative Director Shaun Escayg to bring this project to life. Matthew joined our studio a decade ago to work on The Last of Us and UNCHARTED 4: A Thief's End. He rose to Lead Systems Designer on The Last of Us Part II and co-headed the charge for over 60 accessibility features. Shaun started as Lead Cinematic Animator on The Last of Us and UNCHARTED 4: A Thief's End. Shaun would later go on to become the Creative Director of UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy. With their deep creative and technical expertise with the series, they’re the perfect fit to helm this project, and you’ll be hearing even more about The Last of Us Part I from them soon.

Along with the trailer, we’re also pleased to announce that you may pre-order The Last of Us Part I for PS5 today at 4PM PT**. We partnered with PlayStation to develop multiple editions of the game: The Last of Us Part I Standard Edition ($69.99 USD MSRP/ $89.99 CAD MSRP/ €79.99 EUR MSRP/ ¥7,900 JPY MSRP), Digital Deluxe Edition, and the Firefly Edition.

The Digital Deluxe ($79.99 USD MSRP/ $99.99 CAD MSRP/ €89.99 EUR MSRP/ ¥8,900 JPY MSRP) includes an early unlock of the following in-game items:

• Increased Crafting Speed Skill
• Increased Healing Speed Skill
• 9mm Reload Speed Increase Upgrade
• Rifle Clip Capacity Increase Upgrade
• Explosive Arrows Gameplay Modifier
• Dither Punk Filter
• Speedrun Mode
• Six Weapon Skins: Black Gold 9mm Pistol, Silver Filigree 9mm Pistol, Rubber Tactical Shotgun, Sculpted Oak Shotgun, Arctic White Bow, Carbon Black Bow
  

The Firefly Edition ($99.99 USD MSRP), available in the US via direct.playstation.com only, includes the in-game early unlock bonuses featured in the Digital Deluxe Edition as well as a SteelBook® display case and The Last of Us: American Dreams Comics #1 to #4 with new cover art for each comic.

If you pre-order** any edition of The Last of Us Part I for PS5, you’ll receive the following in-game items***:

• Bonus Supplements to upgrade your skillset
• Bonus Weapon Parts to upgrade your arsenal

We are looking forward to sharing even more over the coming months leading up to the release of The Last of Us Part I. Your love and passion for our games are truly inspiring, and we’re immensely proud to share this experience with you.

Endure and survive!

__

*3D Audio via built-in TV speakers or analog/USB stereo headphones. Set up required.

**Depending on your region, it may take some time for physical editions to appear. Please check with your chosen local retailer for listings and availability.

***Pre-order bonuses are not available in some regions. Please check with your chosen local retailer for availability.

When we set out to remaster UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End and UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy, we had a lot of fun re-living Nathan Drake and Chloe Frazer’s awe-inspiring journeys. Our goal was to present these award-winning experiences at the highest quality possible, taking advantage of what the PlayStation 5 has to offer. In doing so, we feel that this makes the gameplay and story feel that much more immersive.

We’ve leveraged the awesome haptic feedback system in the DualSense controller, allowing you to feel differences in each individual combat and melee weapon, even down to Nate’s dart gun. The haptic feedback system also allows for directionality in what you feel, so when you take damage, you can tell from what direction the blow was dealt. Of course, we brought that mechanic into traversal, so the player feels feedback using the rope, swinging, jumping landing, all the high velocity action that Nate and Chloe constantly hurtle through. Updates like these were especially fun for us to implement into the more iconic UNCHARTED moments, like the Madagascar car chase scene, the opening boat sequence in U4, and the epic swordfight battle with Rafe.

Whether you’re familiar with the world of UNCHARTED or embarking on these adventures for the first time, we hope you enjoy playing these games that are incredibly special to our team. UNCHARTED 4 and UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy were touched by hundreds of talented, ambitious individuals who poured their unique skills into the production of these games. Drake and Chloe, as well as all their cohorts that surround them, are so important to all of us at the studio, we’re stoked to bring these two UNCHARTED stories to life on the PS5.

Thank you for passionately supporting UNCHARTED all these years. Sic Parvis Magna.

We enjoyed talking about our Favorite Games of 2020 so much that we decided to go another round this year. Check out some of the games that inspired, thrilled, and entertained a few of us here at Naughty Dog in 2021:

Bugsnax

Christian Gyrling, Vice President

This was a unique and great game that my 7-year old daughter and I bonded over. We worked together and took turns. The different bugs and all of their special strengths and weaknesses made for a compelling adventure/puzzle game. #WouldBuyAgain

Deathloop

Matthew Gallant, Game Director

Setting an immersive sim in a time loop was a brilliant idea. Every space you visit and revisit becomes richer as you gain new tools, new information, and new appreciation of the environmental storytelling. The art direction is also stunning, layering 60’s Bond villain mansions atop abandoned bunkers from Lost, all on a gorgeously rugged and desolate island.

Most importantly, Deathloop helped me break my bad immersive sim habits. The time loop structure gave me permission to let go of playing flawless zero-kill zero-alert runs, and adopt a more improvisational and chaotic playstyle. This was particularly true when invaded by a skilled Julianna player, instantly recontextualizing the map I had been stealthing through into a thrilling cat & mouse arena.

Waylon Brinck, Development Director

The freshness of the universe is what really grabbed me, at a time when so many games feel like more of the same. The level of polish is rock-solid too, from the art direction, to the audio design, to the gunplay, the protagonists and the world, everything is telling the same story.

Kurt Margenau, Game Director

I've always admired Arkane's level and mechanics design in Dishonored, and with Deathloop, l feel like they fully embraced their immersive sim nature and built an entirely unique structure of a game out of it. It's such a simple premise, but it's so complex in how you unravel it all as a player. Brilliant work.

Fortnite

Anthony Newman, Game Director

When I first started working on this multiplayer project, I had a very superficial opinion of Fortnite as something that was a mere toy for tweens, a passing fad that was only popular because of Drake. How wrong I was! Fortnite is truly inspiring, not just as a multiplayer game but as a game period. Epic takes incredible creative risks every season, coming up with new ways to totally transform the game, and they seem anything but short of new ideas. I've been especially impressed with the interactive "concert" events they created: a multiplayer, interactive, limited time musical event? Doesn't get much more innovative than that! Now if I could only learn to build...

Frostpunk

Patrick Goss, QA Director

I love City Builders, and I love Steampunk City Builders even more. Taking a Steampunk City Builder and jamming Victorian era humanity’s "last stand" into the arctic... giddy up! Spending a day laying out street infrastructure to keep a coal fired generator running while your dirigible equipped hunters try to find enough food to keep your peeps from starving isn't everyone's jam, but if it is, this thing is going to blow your mind. Frostpunk was beautifully gameplay balanced with just the right learning curve to teach you every time you failed (again and again and again). The payoff the first time you win? You'll text your friends. I enjoyed the cello-heavy score for hours on end, and the atmosphere the game created was so chilly I usually grabbed a blanket, even here in sunny Santa Monica.

House of Ashes

Ashley Swidowski, Character Art Director

Supermassive's unique anthology continues to impress with the latest in their series of short, original horror stories. House of Ashes doesn't shy away from acknowledging its inspirations, but still feels exciting in its approach. I'm always protective of the cast in each of these installments and losing any one of them feels devastating! Knowing the decisions I make will always have a rippling effect makes me think long and hard about my choices – well, as long as the timer lets me, anyway. Thanks for carrying the torch for horror in games, Supermassive!

Inscryption

Vinit Agarwal, Game Director

I actually can't say too much about this game because it's one of those games that's best enjoyed the less you know about it. I will say though I haven't been as blown away by the creativity of a game in a very long time, and despite having a toddler I found myself up till 3AM every night playing till I finished it. Can't recommend it enough.

It Takes Two

Rochelle Snyder, Senior Communications Manager

There's really no greater joy than watching a fuzzy bumble bee bust out of a hive with two victorious dolls attached to its hindquarters after you've left a wasp nest smoldering in fire.

Truly, I'm sure that this game absolutely wrecked some relationships (romantic and otherwise), but this was a huge hit in my household. My partner has never been a gamer, and she really got into this. We've spent hours on the couch laughing, plotting, and occasionally forcefully giving directions at each other (HONEY I NEED YOU STEERING THIS DAMN UNDERWEAR!). What a gift Hazelight Studios delivered -- absolutely superb.

Evan Wells, Co-President

I'm a sucker for platform games, and It Takes Two combines that gameplay with amazing puzzles, a great story, and beautiful art. There is so much variety, and clever mechanics are continually introduced. And the bold choice of requiring a second player made the experience unique. I had a ton of fun playing it with my son.

Metroid Dread

Wasim Khan, Director of Character Technology

The first Metroid game established principles of the non-linear platformer and inspired game subgenre called "metroidvania".

I'm so happy to see 2.5D Metroid exists with fine tuned player controls, new slide, and well-timed Melee Counters.

Metroid Dread leaves you in awe thanks to its satisfying gameplay and moody atmosphere while telling an engaging story.

Studio "Mercury Steam" did a fantastic job with "Metroid: Samus Returns" on 3ds back in 2017, now "Metroid Dread" and I'm craving for more.

Returnal

Jeremy Yates, Animation Director

A wonderful concoction of beauty and horror, Returnal created a world I lost myself in for MANY hours during 2021. Returnal was a masterclass in design efficiency and created a really compelling game loop that made my heart pound and palms sweat. The art and audio were both spectacular and satisfying. I loved the subtle environmental storytelling and how the backstory slowly revealed itself in unconventional ways.

Arne Meyer, Vice President

There's no doubt that Returnal is a product of its time both mechanically and thematically and one that checks off so many boxes for me. I've enjoyed many roguelites and timeloop inspired games for so many years now, from Don't Starve to Bloodborne to Deathloop. Add to that the existential themes Returnal explores and you end up with elements that are being explored in so much of our entertainment these past few years. Rightly so, given that the world around us lately can have us simultaneously feeling stuck in time while questioning our existence and future. Okay, enough of the heavy stuff! Returnal is also wholly engrossing, features expertly tuned gameplay, and is stunning to look at. Unraveling the narrative piece by unexpected piece as you struggle to get further and further along had me hooked for hours, when I wasn't trying to master the thrilling boss fights. When I first saw a glimpse of Returnal many years ago, I was not at all prepared for how much of my mental space it would occupy at release. It is still on my mind to this day! Hats off to the entire team at Housemarque. I cannot wait for what's next!

Happy New Year!

We want to thank all the developers who created such incredible experiences. Thank you to the fans and players who supported us through the year. We hope you have a happy and safe holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you in 2022!

We packed a Drake-sized one-two punch of info in today’s post on the PlayStation Blog with details about the January 28th release date for PS5, all the snazzy graphic updates and achievements we’ve implemented, a clear-cut and helpful guide of the upgrade path to get your copy, as well as a cool time-limited offer for participating territories. Spoiler alert, but UNCHARTED movie ticket anyone?

We know a lot of you are asking for more PC details, and rest assured those are coming! In the meantime, head on over to the PS Blog to check out all the new trailer and all that info.

-Rochelle

What’s your favorite memory of your time working on Jak and Daxter?

Evan Wells, Co-President: As we were hitting a major deadline (Beta?) it was right before a holiday weekend (Labor Day?). I had planned to drive out to Las Vegas with my wife to meet our friends, but I couldn’t leave until we had confirmed that the game could be completed to 100%. We had a small QA department, but I could collect all the orbs and powercells faster than most, if not all, of them, so with the extra motivation that night I got it down to about 1 hour 45 minutes, so I could get on the road and start the vacation!

What is your favorite scene from Jak and Daxter and why?

Wells: My favorite scene is the entire intro animation. I watched it so many times and love Samos’s soliloquy (“Even the rocks do not recall!”). But I think the whole sequence sets up the adventure very well, and it’s the only time in the franchise that you get to see Daxter in human(?) form!

What is the biggest thing you learned while working on Jak and Daxter?

Wells: The biggest thing I learned was the challenge of designing an open world game without using load times! We set out from the start to design a world and not levels like we were used to, coming from Crash. And we made it a rule that if you could see it you could walk (or boat or fly!) to it and that when you reached a building or cave that you could go inside and that the inside would have to fit within the space that the exterior could support! It wasn’t easy!

Any behind-the-scenes nuggets or personal memories associated with Jak and Daxter?

Wells: I remember the day we received our first PS2 devkit back when they were top secret. They were so scarce that they couldn’t be trusted to any courier or delivery service, so we had to drive to LAX and go to a special offsite customs warehouse to pick it up personally. I’m pretty sure it was the first devkit in the US for many months. We had to keep it in a windowless room inside our office at the time that only a few programmers had access to. As we started to see the leap up in rendering capability it was from the PS1, our minds were racing with the possibilities which lead us to the vision of the game!

A special thank you to Evan Wells for sharing your memories of the development of Jak and Daxter. We wanted to close out with a thank you to you -- the fans.

Jak and Daxter were friendly, funny faces that would eventually become familiar, even sentimental parts of our formative gaming experiences -- and it’s undeniable that many of you feel the same way. Whether you played Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy on the PS2 or experienced the remastered Jak and Daxter Collection on the PS4, we’re honored that you’ve joined us on this storied journey. Cheers to the fans who joyfully navigated the diverse locales with Jak, laughed at Daxter’s one-liners, and pursued every last Precursor orb. We’re humbled to see the impact that Jak and Daxter have made on your lives.

Check out the PlayStation Blog to read more about Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy’s 20-year release anniversary!

What’s your favorite memory of your time working on Uncharted 3?

Evan Wells, President: I really enjoyed working on the multiplayer side of things. It was a very small, scrappy team that was building on our first MP outing that we had in Uncharted 2. So many new features were added, we greatly improved our map designs, and did some very early live updates with limited time modes and even experimental maps that we rotated through called “The Lab.”

Christian Gyrling, Vice President: The game was almost done. We had sent most of the team home to play the game as we were only a few days away from submitting the final build to Sony for manufacturing. I myself brought the game home and started playing the game from the beginning. After a few hours of playing, the game started having glitches. The glitches got worse and worse until enemies would be invisible, the ocean became blood red, and levels would be outright missing. I freaked out, and the next morning, I walked into Evan's office saying, “We can't ship the game like this.” Playing the game for a few hours on older PS3s would in almost all cases result in a broken game experience. I had, however, come up with a hypothesis about what was going on with the game. I sat down with the senior programmers and discussed the issue and my proposed solution. They agreed that we should make the fix, but we needed to know if it really did fix the issue. I made 2 versions of the game. One was the current “broken” version of the game but with some debug text printing on the screen. The second version was the “fixed” version, and it also had debug text printing on the screen. If our hunch was right, we would be able to see that from the numbers printing on screen for the two versions. We had two of our QA staff play through the two versions of the game side-by-side. We all stood there watching them play, and lo and behold, the numbers started confirming the hypothesis. After an hour, the one tester that was running the “broken” version of the game started seeing glitching, the other one did not. We ended up putting the fix in and shipping Uncharted 3 with this critical bug fix just 2 days later.

Kurt Margenau, Game Director: Definitely building the Cargo Plane sequence. It was the first time in my career getting to really bring together something like that. It was truly a collaborative effort with animators, programmers, sound designers, and anyone else who cared to contribute. It started with an off-the-cuff idea of, “What if you could chase down a plane on the tarmac and board it,” which turned into, “Ok, what if the plane crashed while you were in it?”, and then figuring out how that could even work and be playable. I think coming off the high of the success of Uncharted 2, we all thought the sky was the limit, and we could achieve whatever wild-ass blockbuster idea we could think up to one-up ourselves. Our tech and excitement were really firing on all cylinders, but it still took the bulk of the two-year production time to really make that sequence into a reality. I was making little models of trucks on my desk to figure out how the player could climb on these things as they’re hanging out of the back of the plane. Jeremy [Yates] was doing wire-work on the mocap stage to capture climbing on a cargo net blowing in the wind. We had to implement some old-school perfectly seamed-up infinitely scrolling backgrounds to make the desert able to move infinitely below the plane (while the plane actually stood still. shhh). We even had a fully playable zero-g sequence inside the plane that we cut at the last second! There were just a ton of new innovations and fun problems to solve every step of the way and I will always love that feeling of creatively solving them. I’ll always remember my time on that set-piece and the people I worked on it with so fondly. It’s such a surreal feeling now seeing that Uncharted 3 Cargo Plane scene inspiring the one in the upcoming Uncharted movie, and I’m so excited to see their take on it!

What is your favorite scene from Uncharted 3 and why?

Evan: I have so many! It’s hard to choose. Of course, I do love the entire cargo plane set-piece, but I’ll give a little love to the sequence that follows it – Drake lost in the desert. The contrast of the slow pace and desperation from the high action that you just went through finally gives you a chance to breathe, and getting to experience the hallucinations of Sully I think really connects you to Drake’s emotions in the moment.

Christian: I love the overgrown Chateau. It was one of the first levels where I really felt that "This is Uncharted."

Kurt: Maybe I’m biased because I also worked on it, but I like what the “Lost in the Desert” scene was trying to do. Our Lead Designer Richard Lemarchand really wanted to capture the epic cinematic scale of the desert and feeling of being lost, the way Lawrence of Arabia [1962 film] did. So, we were playing with these ridiculously wide shots with the camera hundreds of meters away from Drake, like a helicopter shot and still allowing the player to be in control. I remember experimenting with all the different fades and how to advance the sequence in these non-traditional ways; how to tell this little mini story of Nate completely lost, at his lowest point and make the player feel that aimlessness. We drew a lot from the language of film, and even tried real-time playable cross-dissolves, where control of Drake shifted from one scene to the next as the image faded between them. Turns out that wasn’t really in the cards for the PS3 to be rendering the scene twice every frame, so it didn’t make the cut, and we ended up transitioning the scenes on fade-to-white or fade-to-black instead. But I love that we tried it, and the team was dedicated to making such a non-traditional sequence work. In the end, I’m proud of that scene and think it stands out in the game full of otherwise high-action moments.

What is the biggest thing you learned while working on Uncharted 3?

Evan: Announcing your ship date the day that you announce your game is not a great idea! Our reveal trailer included our release date and sticking to that was extraordinarily difficult. We had to pull most of the (already very limited) resources from early development on The Last of Us, and it was still a challenging development process for us.

Christian: Together we can achieve anything.

Any behind-the-scenes nuggets or personal memories associated with Uncharted 3?

Evan: When we had our press event for the multiplayer reveal we had double- and triple-checked that the venue had a solid and fast internet connection, and they assured us that it was “T1” which we thought meant “very fast”. When we got there and set up, nothing was working. We couldn’t figure out what the problem was. The press was going to be arriving any minute and we couldn’t get a match going. We soon discovered the problem was that we were streaming too much data (we had “Uncharted TV” that was streaming highlight reels from YouTube in the lobby), and we were choking the bandwidth. Christophe [Balestra] began furiously trying to rewrite the backend server code as the press started to gather in the adjacent room, while we had programmers back in the office racing to send over an updated build that disabled the streaming. In the end, the updated code arrived minutes before the event started and the rest of the day went off without a hitch. Later we discovered that “T1” didn’t mean “very fast” and only guarantees 1.44mbs!

This is the last week of this event, and it's been an absolute blast! It was an incredible joy to collaborate with the incredible Photo Mode contributors every week, and this week is no exception.

Week 5's theme -- a fitting close to this event that was full of so much joy and camaraderie -- takes on the more sentimental side of The Last of Us.

Week 5 Theme: A Moment of Peace

Theme & Shots by @MindJackedJimmy

Softly, sounding like warm amber, Ellie strums her guitar and softly sings to Dina -- a moment of respite in a hostile world. Ellie will later reminisce about a special trip to the museum with Joel, the man who truly did anything he could for her. Somewhere, in another time, Abby and her father are building memories that she'd do anything to keep. Regardless of her losses, she will find family again -- "Hey -- you're my people."

Friendships, romance, family, and laughter are the powerful forces that break through the daily struggle of surviving in the world of The Last of Us -- which inspired this week's theme: A Moment of Peace.

Thank you to @MindJackedJimmy for this heartfelt theme and beautiful inspiration shots featured below! This is an incredible way to close out #TLOUPhotoMode -- let's get sentimental!

Ready to capture those fun, emotional, and meaningful moments? Here's how to participate:

1. We'll post a new theme every Monday featuring a theme and image by an incredible Photo Mode account
2. Tag your theme-appropriate posts with #TLOUPhotoMode + @Naughty_Dog to make sure we can see your incredible talent and work*
3. All week long, we'll retweet and share some of our favorites on both Twitter and the Naughty Dog blog
4. We'll announce new themes at the top of the week so definitely keep an eye out on Mondays on our Twitter and the Naughty Dog blog for the latest weekly theme

Don't forget the tags -- #TLOUPhotoMode + @Naughty_Dog! That's how we can best find you :)

*By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode and @NaughtyDog by 12 PM PST on October 29, 2021, you give SIE permission to share your content on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

UNCHARTED has had huge impact, not only on the people that created it, but to millions of worldwide fans, becoming one of PlayStation’s most enjoyed franchises - spanning four stand-alone titles as well as a spinoff starring Chloe Frazer with The Lost Legacy as well!

Today, we’re humbled and incredibly excited to show you the world premiere of the first official trailer for the much-anticipated UNCHARTED movie – starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas. In a collaboration between Sony Pictures Entertainment, PlayStation Productions, and Naughty Dog we captured the spirit, spectacle, and heart that UNCHARTED is known for (some of you will recognize some of the humor, landmarks, music, and relics.)

In discussions with the film’s director, Ruben Fleischer, he shared that he “made the movie for both hardcore fans of the game and those who are not yet familiar with the franchise and believe that both will be equally entertained by this incredibly fun and action-packed film."

It’s going to be an epic, emotional ride for new and old fans as we watch Nathan Drake make his big screen debut! Sic Parvis Magna indeed!

Without any further delay, presenting the UNCHARTED movie trailer.

UNCHARTED will be available exclusively in theaters on February 18, 2022, UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection will be available on PS5 and PC in early 2022.

On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, thank you!

-Neil

From now until October 29th, we'll be hosting a Twitter Photo Mode event. Read towards the end of this post for all the information on how to participate.

For Week 4, we have a special theme that's, shall we say, evergreen!

Week 4 Theme: Nature Prevails

Theme & shots by @eveygamephoto

This week's theme -- Nature Prevails -- is an opportunity to highlight the lush environments of the world of The Last of Us. Whether it's urban skyscrapers or countryside trails, survivors must navigate worn and collapsing locales swathed in dense, resilient foliage and flora.

Share the scenery that resonates with you, whether you want to capture the overgrown interior ruins of a Seattle office building, the abandoned villas of Santa Barbara, or the lush foliage of a once-manicured suburb. This week, Nature Prevails, and it's front and center!

Thank you to @eveygamephoto for providing this week's special theme and providing the awesome inspiration shots below!

Ready to return to nature and get scenic? Here's what you can expect:

1. We'll post a new theme every Monday featuring a theme and image by an incredible Photo Mode account
2. Tag your theme-appropriate posts with #TLOUPhotoMode + @Naughty_Dog to make sure we can see your incredible talent and work*
3. All week long, we'll retweet and share some of our favorites on both Twitter and the Naughty Dog blog
4. We'll announce new themes at the top of the week so definitely keep an eye out on Mondays on our Twitter and the Naughty Dog blog for the latest weekly theme

Don't forget the tags -- #TLOUPhotoMode + @Naughty_Dog! That's how we can best find you :)

*By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode and @NaughtyDog by 12 PM PST on October 22, 2021, you give SIE permission to share your content on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties

From now until October 29th, we'll be hosting a Twitter Photo Mode event. Read towards the end of this post for all the information on how to participate.

It's a new week, and this week's contributor brought a theme is going to be furiously fun to capture. Let's check it out!

Week 3 Theme: Rage

Theme & shot by @Photoingame

Don't snap! Instead, take a snap for this week's theme -- Rage! The Last of Us Part II debuted a special systematic animation facial tech, which hopefully gives ample opportunity for Photo Mode fanatics to capture all those feelings.

A huge thank you to @Photoingame who provided the theme and inspiration shot below. Whether it's Ellie's unforgettable glare, Abby's dynamic, revenge-fueled combat, or a Clicker captured while screeching a bone-rattling howl, we're excited to see how you capture and interpret Rage!

Credit: Photoingame (Twitter)

Ready to...rage? (Sorry, we couldn't resist the pun). We can't wait to see your emotional shots! Here's what you can expect:

1. We'll post a new theme every Monday featuring a theme and image by an incredible Photo Mode account
2. Tag your theme-appropriate posts with #TLOUPhotoMode + @Naughty_Dog to make sure we can see your incredible talent and work*
3. All week long, we'll retweet and share some of our favorites on both Twitter and the Naughty Dog blog
4. We'll announce new themes at the top of the week so definitely keep an eye out on Mondays on our Twitter and the Naughty Dog blog for the latest weekly theme

Don't forget the tags -- #TLOUPhotoMode + @Naughty_Dog! That's how we can best find you :)

*By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode and @NaughtyDog by 12 PM PST on October 15, 2021, you give SIE permission to share your content on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

From now until October 29th, we'll be hosting a Twitter Photo Mode event. Read towards the end of this post for all the information on how to participate.

Now let's...zoom in...on this week's awesome theme and contributor!

Week 2 Theme: Close Up/Details

Theme & shots by @EclipsedFantasy

This week's super awesome theme -- Close Up -- is definitely a fun one! Whatever subject, whatever character, whatever scene -- zoom in and capture those details up close! We can't wait to see your take on this theme.

Thank you to @EclipsedFantasy for providing this awesome theme and shot below. Artistic details are definitely a big part of the games we make, and it's incredibly cool to see these shots. Check them out below:

Got some details shots that will blow us away? We'd love to "magnify" your work! Here's what you can expect:

1. We'll post a new theme every Monday featuring a theme and image by an incredible Photo Mode account
2. Tag your theme-appropriate posts with #TLOUPhotoMode + @Naughty_Dog to make sure we can see your incredible talent and work*
3. All week long, we'll retweet and share some of our favorites on both Twitter and the Naughty Dog blog
4. We'll announce new themes at the top of the week so definitely keep an eye out on Mondays on our Twitter and the Naughty Dog blog for the latest weekly theme

Don't forget the tags -- #TLOUPhotoMode + @Naughty_Dog! That's how we can best find you :)

*By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode and @NaughtyDog by 12 PM PST on October 8, 2021, you give SIE permission to share your content on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

When I came in for my interview with Jason Rubin, I got to see the incredible concept art for what would become the first Jak and Daxter game. The very small team had just finished the last Crash Bandicoot game. I started January 3, 2000 and was completely excited to be working on Jak and Daxter. I believe I was employee #26.

How has working on props evolved since you started working in this industry? Did you start in props?

I was building levels when I first started at ND, and, slowly, as the games got bigger and more realistic, I switched into props. Props has evolved into its own department and covers everything that is intractable with the characters.

How big was Naughty Dog when you first started? How has it been working on bigger and bigger projects over time?

As I mentioned, I think I was employee #26 when I started. We stayed relatively small for the Jak and Daxter series but really started to expand with UNCHARTED. I look back and marvel at how much the look of the games has changed over the years. The difference in the last UNCHARTED game and, now, to The Last of Us Part II is even leaps and bounds better with the improvements in the consoles and the technology in general. It really does require a lot of people to accomplish that kind of detail, along with everything that goes into a triple- A game.

In that time, what has been your favorite project you’ve seen come to life? Why?

My favorite game of all that I’ve worked on is still UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves. The location of the game was Nepal. I just loved the story and the challenges in making and playing the game. I still listen regularly to the track of the music soundtrack called “Reunion”; it’s one of my favorites, and it elicits just a wonderful feeling whenever I hear it. Greg Edmonson wrote some great music for that game.

You mentioned once that Ish’s letters from The Last of Us were hand-written. Could you tell us that story?

We wanted to give a real personal feel to the letter pickups in the game because each one told its own, at most times, heartbreaking story. Instead of going the typeface route, we decided to hand-write them, and everybody wanted to add their penmanship to the job.

Ish’s letters were important because there were several, and each added to the story of Ish and his companions. We even had some of our coworkers’ kids add drawings and letters.

TLOU’s fans usually mentioned how much those letters affected them. We loved hearing that.

It’s no secret that the video game industry is male-dominated. How have you navigated that space while making a successful career for yourself?

I’ve never really worked in any job I’ve had, in the course of my working life, where men weren’t in the majority, or I was the only woman, in some instances. I rarely encountered any problems with anyone I’ve worked with, and it was always a matter of personality, not that I was a woman and they were a man. I’ve always found if you treat people well, they will usually reciprocate.

Any wisdom for other women looking to break into the video game industry?

Love what you do (whatever the discipline within the industry), be willing to go the extra mile to make a great game, and just try to keep a balance between your working life and your home life. That’s pretty much true for everybody.

From now until October 29th, we'll be hosting a Twitter Photo Mode event. Here's what you can expect:

1. We'll post a new theme every Monday featuring a theme and image by an incredible Photo Mode account
2. Tag your theme-appropriate posts with #TLOUPhotoMode + @Naughty_Dog to make sure we can see your incredible talent and work*
3. All week long, we'll retweet and share some of our favorites on both Twitter and the Naughty Dog blog
4. We'll announce new themes at the top of the week so definitely keep an eye out on Mondays on our Twitter and the Naughty Dog blog for the latest weekly theme

Don't forget the tags -- #TLOUPhotoMode + @Naughty_Dog! That's how we can best find you :)

Now onto the magic!

Week 1 Theme: Fortitude/Strength

Theme & shots by @PoachiiN

This week, starting on The Last of Us Day, September 26th, is a special day for many reasons, and here's one of those reasons: we're excited to announce the first theme for this Photo Mode event: Fortitude/Strength. Feel free to convey emotional or physical strength, whatever speaks to you! We look forward to seeing your incredible shots.

Thank you to the incredible @PoachiiN for providing this incredibly versatile and powerful theme and the stunning shots in the slideshow below that demonstrate the theme!

*By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode and @NaughtyDog by 12 PM PST on October 1, 2021, you give SIE permission to share your content on SIE websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

We’re very fortunate to have a great relationship with our community and The Last of Us Day is one of our favorite days to share and engage in back-and-forth dialogue with our fans. Whether you use Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, use the hashtag #TLOUDay to spread the cheer and good vibes. Share your art, cosplay, creations, Photo Mode shots, or even special memories of your experiences with The Last of Us universe. We’re looking forward to having you all join in on celebrating The Last of Us Day - we’ll be active on social all day!

To cap off the day, please check back at NaughtyDog.com at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST for a The Last of Us Day wrap up note to you -- the amazing fans.

Let’s chat about what we got cooking!

The Last of Us Part II: Covers and Rarities Now Streaming and Limited Edition Vinyl by Mondo

Attention audiophiles and collectors: time to warm up your record players! Working in close collaboration with our friends at Mondo, we’re excited to finally announce pre-orders for The Last of Us Part II: Covers and Rarities vinyl.

This limited edition vinyl features stunning, exclusive artwork by Dani Pendergast, and a special message by The Last of Us Part II’s Director, Neil Druckmann.

This special release has been a huge fan request, and we’re excited to present this EP featuring tracks sung by Ashley Johnson (Ellie) and Troy Baker (Joel) and guitar by Chris Rondinella.

Pre-orders open today, September 26, at 10 am PST exclusively on Mondo’s website

For those of you that might want to take Joel’s rendition of “Wayfaring Stranger” and Ellie’s serenade of “Take On Me” with you wherever you go, we’ll also be releasing Covers and Rarities online - and it will be available globally on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, and all major global streaming outlets today at 9 PM PST.

The Last of Us Part II Joel Statue by Dark Horse

In partnership with Dark Horse Direct, we’re proud to present a new, limited edition 14.25” Joel statue from The Last of Us Part II. This limited-edition statue is crafted in stunning detail, and he comes fully equipped, wielding his gun and guitar. This statue is available for pre-order until October 29 at 5 PM PST via Dark Horse’s website and will ship May - July 2022.

PlayStation Gear Store - We Got That Exclusive Merch!

The goods! We have some stunning brand-new merch going up on the PlayStation Gear Store.

New offerings include a waxed canvas backpack for here, there and everywhere, and an awesome Stormtech® Waterfall Insulated Rain Jacket with a laser engraved patch that’s perfect for the changing seasons.

We’re also excited to announce exclusive merchandise to live out your best troubadour experiences – such as new Taylor straps and picks. By popular fan demand, we’re also pleased to offer The Last of Us Part II GS Mini and 314ce guitars, which is exclusively available on the PlayStation EU* Gear Store site.

Joining the PlayStation Gear Store lineup is Insert Coin’s meticulously crafted W.L.F Bomber jacket so you can channel Abby.

On top of all this, we’re pleased that pre-existing The Last of Us merchandise will see a 20% off discount through September 30th on the PlayStation Gear Store** and The Last of Us Remastered, The Last of Us: Left Behind and DLC will see a 50% reduction on PlayStation Store through September 27th.

* Ships to Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

** Discount cannot be combined with any other ongoing offer/promotion/discount.

The Triumphant Return of Photo Mode

We absolutely loved seeing everybody’s creativity run wild with last year’s Photo Mode contest. There were so many incredible submissions (and several very sweet messages!). We wished that we could share even more with the community, so, this year, we’re expanding the Photo Mode event!

Starting today until October 29, we’re kicking off a month of community captures, with different themes each week as we make our way through October. Post your Photo Mode shots to Twitter with the hashtag #TLOUPhotoMode and tag @Naughty_Dog to enter.

Not only will we re-tweet several of our selects daily, but we’ll also keep an ongoing scrapbook of those Photo Mode shots on the Naughty Dog blog, reminding us to always endure and survive - together.

Whether you are ready to flex your Photo Mode skills or want to check out some amazing talent, join us on Twitter.

By tagging your screenshots with #TLOUPhotoMode and tagging @Naughty_Dog by October 28, 2021, you give SIE and @Naughty_Dog permission to share your content on SIE and Naughty Dog websites and social media channels. Posts must not contain personal information or content that is defamatory, harmful, offensive or otherwise violates the rights or interests of SIE or third parties.

________________

First and foremost, this day is for celebrating you, the incredible community! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to get all the latest updates and activities! On behalf of the studio, thank you for celebrating The Last of Us with us year-round -- and especially today.

Happy The Last of Us Day! ✌️

This brand-new remastered bundle includes UNCHARTED 4: A Thief's End, featuring Nathan Drake as he hunts for Captain Avery’s long-lost treasure, setting off for one final far flung adventure across the jungles of Madagascar to long lost pirate colony of Libertalia. It also includes UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy, which chronicles Chloe Frazer’s breakout exploits as she moves from frenemy to hero. Enlisting the assistance of renowned mercenary Nadine Ross, Chloe ventures to India’s Western Ghats to locate the Golden Tusk of Ganesh.

UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection will be available in early 2022 for PS5. The PC version is in development by our partners at Iron Galaxy and will release shortly after the PS5 version. As these dates approach, we’ll discuss more details.

Needless to say, we’re pretty excited that more players will get the chance to meet (and fall in love with) Nathan, Chloe, Nadine and the rest of the cast in the UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection.

Get ready to (re-)seek your fortune. Or, you know, discover it for the first time -- we recommend bringing a grappling hook!

It’s absolutely crazy that it’s been EIGHT years since we introduced Joel and Ellie to the world. Your love for them, their journey, and our game has forever changed our lives. Your support has fueled us while we were working on the ambitious journeys of Ellie and Abby with The Last of Us Part II.

It’s wild to think that, just one year ago, we at Naughty Dog saw The Last of Us Part II released. Years of planning, designing, crafting, and creating were now in the hands of our fans around the world. Since then, millions of you have played The Last of Us Part II!

The development and release of The Last of Us Part II has been a deeply personal and emotional journey for us. The game came out in the middle of a world-wide pandemic. We’ve sorely missed meeting all of you at public events over the last year to celebrate and talk about the game. In fact, one of our biggest bummers is that we’ve yet to celebrate the launch of the game physically with everyone that has worked on it!

But do you know what has been incredibly uplifting? Your passionate reactions! Your tweets of support! Your beautiful fanart! Your thoughtful (video and written) essays! Your gorgeous Photo Mode shots! The heartfelt letters about what the game has meant to you or how it helped you during this difficult year!

We know that it’s been a challenging 15 months and that, for many of you, those challenges persist. Here’s to hoping we get through this soon. We look forward to the day we can meet up in person again!

We can’t convey how much we appreciate y’all for being such an amazing community and fans of The Last of Us and Naughty Dog in general. It’s been a wild and, at times, bumpy ride, but if somehow we had another shot at it… we’d do it all over again!

On behalf of everyone that worked on The Last of Us Part II, thank you! We love you!

And as we work on our next set of games, know that your support continues to fuel us!

Until next time… endure and survive!

- Neil

One of the most requested items from our community has been to release a PS5 performance patch for The Last of Us Part II.

Well, today is the day and you can download the free *patch right now!

Once patch 1.08 for The Last of Us Part II is installed on your PS5, you will find a toggle in the Display options that allows you to choose between a Framerate Target of 30 FPS or 60 FPS. This allows you to choose your preferred framerate to complement the rest of the enhancements that are part of the PS5 backward compatibility with PS4 games, such as an enhanced resolution, faster load times, and more.

The team has been digging into the PS5 hardware and the possibilities it unlocks since launch last year and we’re excited about what the future holds. This patch is just the first step of working on the PS5. We’ll let you know when we’ve got more news to share!

*Internet connection required.

To celebrate Uncharted 4’s 5th anniversary, we wanted to take this opportunity to look back with some of the developers on the amazing accomplishments and behind-the-scenes notes that made this game so special.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY

When Naughty Dog kicked off development of Uncharted 4, there were several things that were certain: there’d be pirates, breathtaking locations, and the familiar characters that you’ve gotten to know in the previous three entries of the series. Even so, there are core pillars that are part of the studio’s approach to every game: character-driven storytelling and innovating wherever possible.

Vinit Agarwal, Game Director at Naughty Dog, discussed his experience as a game designer working on both multiplayer and single player experiences for Uncharted 4.

“We make story games. Uncharted and The Last of Us are very different games. I think it’s because we’re taking the fundamentals of design and applying it to the ‘canvas’ we’re working on. We try to understand the essence and the emotion behind what we’re trying to make and capture the essence in those mechanics.”

As Naughty Dog’s first game developed specifically for the PlayStation 4 from start to finish, the developers sought to push the boundaries of the studio’s new engine, from fidelity to animation to gameplay. Beyond the considerations of brand new hardware and a new engine, it was also the first time facial capture was used for motion capture in a Naughty Dog game.

Marianne Hayden, Story Animator at Naughty Dog and Cinematics Animator for Uncharted 4, talked about a new approach to animating faces. “It was the first project that we used facial capture, so that was a transition for our team because we were used to hand-keying everything. Now, we had not only full-body data where we had to learn how to use a new rig and a new system, we had to figure out how to make it look really good.”

A myriad of new improvements was introduced that truly brought the world of Uncharted 4 to life, from jumping between vehicles to details in Nathan and NPCs' movements and interactions with the world around them. One of the biggest goals was ensuring character movement would be as fluid as possible.

Almudena Soria, Lead Animator at Naughty Dog and animator on Uncharted 4, sought to improve the NPC Traversal System, working closely with the scripting and AI teams to push the boundaries of realistic player and NPC movements. “It wasn’t just the animation side but also the AI team. I was like, ‘Ok, choose this TAP [Traversal Action Pack] and choose your next point before you finish the TAP. Otherwise, it’s not going to ‘know’ what type of movement to exit to. Knowing the AI had to choose things in advance to be able to play them -- that was huge.”

She further explained how this translated to the gameplay experience, stating, “We had a lot of bodies. They had to lead. ‘Leading’ means they have to be as responsive as the player and be realistic and believable. There’s a lot of choices that need to be done, not just from an animation point-of-view but also from scripting and AI to make sure our animations look good.”

Another key marker of every Uncharted game is Nathan Drake’s travels to exotic locales, stunning ruins, and remote, hidden enclaves of the world. Waylon Brinck, Development Director at Naughty Dog, put the staggering amount of in-game environments into perspective: “What really strikes me is how we achieved such amazing fidelity, far beyond anything else that came out at the time (or even still today). But, on top of that, it's not just one ‘look.’ It's like two dozen radically different environments that all hit that quality bar. For example, the Madagascar level was the plains, the ruins interior, the crowded marketplace, the clock tower, the chase through the city, the chase through the countryside, and the hotel scene at the end, all created by different teams.”

From gameplay to animation to environment and beyond, the game developers at Naughty Dog endeavored to make sure that every part of the game was true to the Uncharted series, Nathan Drake, and the game’s core themes.

The Hero

If gameplay made the movement and physical experiences of Nathan Drake feel real, his story further demystified the man behind the adventurer. When we catch up with Nathan at the beginning Uncharted 4, he and Elena are living a relatively normal life complete with trash duty and work deadlines.

However, Uncharted wouldn’t be the story it is without adventure, and Nathan is clearly itching to return to his fortune-seeking exploits.

As Writer Josh Scherr explains, “A running thing that became more prominent with each successive game was that Nathan Drake was, in addition to being a very smart, learned person, who obviously knew a lot about history and used that as his superpower, was also a bit of an adrenaline junkie, a thrill-seeker. Someone who was restless, someone looking for the next big thing. That sort of manifested itself in some of the early games, with the fact that he seemed to be constantly getting together with and breaking up with Elena.”

However, Nathan would encounter the final push he needed to resume treasure hunting and mercenary fighting.

The Rogue

In Uncharted 4, we’re introduced to the man who knew Nathan Drake before he became a renowned, treasure-hunting fortune seeker -- Sam Drake, Nathan’s older brother, previously presumed dead.

For better or worse, Sam is the one who finally pushes Nathan to return to adventuring -- even if it means hiding his plans from Elena. Moreover, Sam serves to force Nathan to acknowledge the truth around his past.

In the original draft of Uncharted 4, Sam was intended to be the primary antagonist. Although we see his manipulative behavior throughout the story, his role evolved to become more of a mirror of Drake’s own personal demons and regrets.

“He still turns out to be a liar, if not necessarily a direct antagonist,” Josh explains. “Ultimately, he is a physical representation of Drake’s past. He’s the one who pulled him out of the orphanage. He’s the one who set their destinies on the path and said, ‘This is what we’re going to do with our lives.’ In some ways Nate felt sort of beholden to him for helping him out but also because he was lost himself.”

The Adversary

If Sam challenged Nathan emotionally, Rafe Adler challenged Nathan mortally. While Nathan and Sam had to climb and fight their way to glory, Rafe is the man who has it all.

“We needed somebody to contrast the Drake brothers,” Josh details. “This is a guy who comes from 100% privilege who had everything handed to him and feels the need to prove himself -- that he can do these things.”

The clash between Nathan, Sam, and Rafe culminates in a brutal sword fight. As Vinit recalls, the design team wanted to push this boss battle further to convey to the player a different side to Nathan Drake.

“This is a guy who’s good with guns. He’s good with his fists. You never really see him use a sword. In a way, he’s out of his element against Rafe who’s kind of his match. I wanted to put the player in his shoes, in the shoes of a Nathan Drake who doesn’t have it all covered this time.”

The fight, in its original incarnation, was a series of quicktime events. In order to raise the stakes for the player, Vinit suggested removing the button prompts so that the player would only be able to use triangle to “Block Left Attacks” and Circle to “Block Right Attacks”. The removal of quicktime prompts forced the player to rely on quick wits and a sharp eye on Rafe’s movements to survive the final fight -- much like an actual duel.

Once the fight was polished, the designers, Vinit, and Co-Director Bruce Straley strove to finesse this battle on all difficulties and make it particularly punishing on Crushing Difficulty. Rafe’s condescending taunts towards Nathan during this challenging fight makes victory feels even sweeter.

Ultimately, in the aftermath of the battle, Nathan Drake, although victorious over Rafe, still has one challenge ahead of him: finding real happiness.

The Balance

As the story unfolds in Uncharted 4, one prominent quality that Sam and Nathan share beyond blood is a desire for fortune and glory. However, while Sam is steadfast and resolute in his pursuit of treasure hunting, Nathan begins to realize that his priorities have changed.

“In a funny way, Uncharted 4 is a lot about work-life balance and trying to find the balance between the things you’re passionate about and the other things that are important to you,” Josh states. “What happens when you sacrifice one for the other?”

Ultimately, Nathan finds what truly matters in his life -- Elena. Although it took a hunt for pirate treasure, battling countless mercenaries, and grappling with his past, his final hurdle is learning to truly balance his passions and the people in his life who matter.

Josh perfectly sums up the conclusion of Uncharted 4. In his words, the game ends “with Nate and Elena making this conscious choice to find a compromise between illegal, explosive, death-defying stuff and sitting bored at home with boring jobs they hate. They find something in between...and play Crash Bandicoot.”

The Adventure Beyond

When Nathan Drake’s adventures ended, the adventure continued with Uncharted 4’s multiplayer.

In comparison to previous Naughty Dog multiplayer entries, Vinit envisioned Uncharted 4’s Multiplayer experience as one that emphasized the lighthearted nature of the franchise. “There’s a different flavor of teamwork that I wanted to exist in Uncharted which was a sense of camaraderie.”

Additionally, it was an opportunity for characters from the entire Uncharted franchise to reunite, offering a synergy between the heroes (and villains) of the series. “It was cool to see Sam, Nathan, Sully, and Elena moving together in a group and taking on the baddies. It was cool to see Lazarević there in the mix.”

“The other big goal was trying to honor Uncharted as a franchise. We added a lot of the Mystical items from the previous Uncharted games, which weren’t present in Uncharted 4. In a lot of ways, Uncharted 4 Multiplayer was an homage to Uncharted as a brand.”

Moreover, we’re thrilled to see that Uncharted 4 Multiplayer continues to be celebrated by the community of players. You truly brought the spirit of camaraderie, challenge, and fun. “It’s really cool to see people still playing Uncharted 4 Multiplayer today and talking about it,” Vinit states. “I still see people streaming it!”

The Legacy

Thank you to the players who played and continue to play Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. We’re humbled by the continued support and enthusiasm of the community, players, and fans and are thrilled to celebrate this milestone with you.

So many developers poured passion, love, and talent into making this game. We could only scratch the surface of their achievements and experiences, and we’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to share the developers’ contributions and perspectives. A special thank you to Naughty Dog studio members Almudena Soria, Arne Meyer, Josh Scherr, Marianne Hayden, Soa Lee, Vinit Agarwal, and Waylon Brinck for contributing to this retrospective.

Sic parvis magna.

For the first post of 2021, we asked devs here at Naughty Dog, “What was your favorite game of 2020?” Here’s what they had to say:

Astro's Playroom

Erick Pangilinan - Art Director

I have been playing Astro's Playroom with my young kids because it’s one of the few games I can share time with them and is age appropriate. The mechanics are easy enough for them to enjoy most of the game....but the difficulty ramps up so I can jump in to get them through the tough parts. It’s great to see your kids get excited about these classic games because you see a bit of yourself in them when you first experienced this.

Waylon Brinck - Development Director

It's the right place at the right time - Astro's Playroom is an awesome introduction to the PS5 and a giddy trip down PlayStation memory lane. But the real surprise for me was how my 4-year-old was eager to play it, his first console game ever. He learned SO FAST, which is a testament to both the game design, and to the DualSense controller. The haptic feedback made it easier for him to coordinate his actions to the screen, but also added excitement that made him want to try, try again!

Demon's Souls

Jeremy Yates - Animation Director

Perhaps 2020 has made me a glutton for punishment, but Demon’s Souls is a game I haven’t been able to put down. While not the most accessible, DS has been a great example of precision gameplay where every decision has consequences and step has been earned. The PS5 remaster is also jaw droppingly beautiful.

Fall Guys

Neil Druckmann - Co-President

Fall Guys was the right combination of chaos, humor, and camaraderie (when my friends were on.). It was the perfect game to play late as a stress relief when we were finalizing The Last of Us Part II. It also happens to be my only platinum trophy! (subtle flex)

Vinit Agarwal - Game Director

For a few weeks, I remember it was every night with Kurt, Neil, and some other Ddogs -- “Aare we Fall Guy-ing tonight?” Then we’d log on, and Neil’s decked out in full chicken gear (at least 5 crowns worth of stuff), and I’m mad jealous, and now we’re competing. Def my game of the year -- shoutout to the Mediatonic team for innovating in the multiplayer space. Respect!

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Ashley Swidowski - Character Art Director

Being a fan of the original, I couldn’t wait to revisit this world and it’s characters reimagined on the PS4. The team did an incredible job recreating the huge, bustling world of Midgar while adding new intrigue and a contemporary battle system. Spending time with Aerith and Cloud again brought me so much joy this year!

For the King

Richard Cambier - Game Director

So many greats of 2020 - go play all the games on the lists - but I want to call attention to one called For The King. First off, I love co-op games! And this is a super playful turn-based RPG that feels like a little tabletop adventure. It came out in 2019, but I found it this year. And I’m glad I did because during the pandemic, firing this up with a buddy gave me a little sense of escape and some much needed laughs, along with some pretty challenging battles. (For The King can be tricky since it also has some rogue-like elements, kind of like that amazing king-of-the-underworld game.) Happy Holidays. Play Games. Be kind.

Ghost of Tsushima

Christian Gyrling - Vice President

I loved the setting for the game, the Japanese countryside. It was incredibly beautiful and satisfying to play as a samurai as I slowly got more and more proficient at using my sword and knives while taking on larger and larger groups of enemies. In the end, I felt like a real badass.

Kurt Margenau - Co-Game Director

Hopping into Tsushima and clearing out Mongols from camps is exactly the therapeutic gameplay I needed in 2020. The world is beautiful, there are tons of things to discover, the combat is fluid and surprisingly deep, and I can feel like I’m actually accomplishing something turning the entire map from red to white! Sucker Punch really delivered on the samurai fantasy.

Check out more of Kurt's and other devs' favorite games of 2020 on the PlayStation.Blog

Patrick Goss - Quality Assurance Director

I love open world games, and absolutely adore those that provide deep compelling narrative like Ghost did. Visceral and frenetic combat followed by sitting quietly to write haiku - and caring about both! It transported me to Feudal Japan sufficiently that it's one of the few games I felt obligated to platinum just to ensure I didn't miss anything.

Griftlands

Arne Meyer - Director of Communications

There were so many great games in! I'm picking Klei Entertainment's Griftlands. Full disclosure: it's still in Early Access and was originally released in 2019 but was released via Steam Early Access this year, so it counts, right??

I love all sorts of games, but this ticks a lot of boxes for me. It's a roguelike, deck-building game with some narrative and RPG elements. And lots of character. I also loved exploring a game where one of the conflict resolution mechanics is non-violent -- in the physical sense. It's got such a simple game loop, but the solid systems and increasing strategy as you build your deck made this game one I came back to again and again. It even inspired me to try my hand at making a strategy- based deck-building game. It doesn't get more inspirational than that!

No Man's Sky

Anthony Newman - Co-Game Director

In a lot of ways, NMS is the opposite of the games we make at Naughty Dog: rather than every moment being carefully crafted, literally the entire galaxy is procedurally generated. Digging a tunnel to take shelter from a raging radiation storm, barely avoiding freezing to death diving for ancient secrets in a polar ocean, building my dream-base on a forest moon filled with giant squid creatures, quietly watching flying animals flock and undulate with the planet's ring backing them in the sky... Some amazing memorable moments in that game, all the more special because no one will ever have those exact moments but me. The next-gen update on PS5 is amazing, a great reason to come back.

Check out more of Anthony's and other devs' favorite games of 2020 on the PlayStation.Blog

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Evan Wells - Co-President

However much I enjoyed the original Spider-Man, Miles Morales exceeds it in every way. It looks absolutely stunning on the PS5, and the story, characters and gameplay were also all improved.

Rob Krekel - Audio Director

Insomniac have just nailed the feel of being Spider-Man. Having the story focus on Miles this time around was really great! I’m also glad that it was real (actively-speaking) short.

While it’s nearly impossible to list all of our favorite games, it also amplifies how many incredible titles released in 2020. The passion and admiration we share for other studios, their development teams, and their games goes beyond our professional perspectives -- their games gifted us with indelible memories that will last far beyond this year. It’s a privilege to experience the results of their hard work, immense talent, and boundless imagination.

Thank you to all of the hardworking development teams that crafted and released some of our favorite games this year!

Happy New Year from Naughty Dog!

With the year winding down and new players picking up the game for the first time over the holidays, we’ve put together a new trailer that provides an expanded look at the story, and, for the first time, focuses on Abby’s emotional journey as it intersects and collides with Ellie’s. It explores her origins, the events that spark her search for vengeance, and the devastating repercussions that follow. You’ll also get a glimpse into Abby's unique gameplay and how her training, equipment, and skills contrast Ellie's. We hope you enjoy it:

Thank you again to everyone that has played The Last of Us Part II. For all those picking it up for the first time, we’d love to hear from you by following and tagging us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. We hope you stay safe, stay healthy, and have a happy holidays and a wonderful New Year.

If you’d like to enter, here’s how: just boot up The Last of Us Part II, capture your stunning Photo Mode shot, and then share the image with us via naughtydog.com/ugc. Be sure to include your name, mailing address, and date of birth. The contest is open to fans who are 18 years or older and legal residents of the United States (excluding Arizona) and Canada (excluding Quebec). Void in Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories and possessions and overseas military installations and where prohibited or restricted by law. For full T&Cs, visit naughtydog.com/TLOUDayContest.

Week 1: Friday, October 9

Runners Up:

Congratulations to the winner Daniel K. and our runners up Ariana M., Christian B., and Omar K.!

Week 2: Friday, October 16

Runners Up:

Congratulations to the winner Casey L. and our runners up Manny G., Radovan S., and Nicholas M.!

Week 3: Friday, October 23

Congratulations to the winner Theo H. and our runners up Zachary S., Marlon M., and James C.!

Week 4: Friday, October 30

Congratulations to the winner Allie T. and our runners up Ben P., Szewai H., and Marybeth W.!

The Last of Us Part II Original Soundtrack 2XLP Vinyl + Limited Edition Posters

We love our good friends at Mondo and the incredible artists they collaborate with. We’ve created some special things together for The Last of Us Day in the past, and this year, we wanted to go even bigger. Tomorrow, Mondo will be debuting a special vinyl release of The Last of Us Part II Original Soundtrack by Gustavo Santaolalla and Mac Quayle and debuting not one, but two new screenprinted posters.

Renowned illustrator Tula Lotay designed the stunning album art for this special 2XLP release, as well as two beautiful new The Last of Us Part II-inspired posters. All will be revealed and available for pre-order tomorrow starting at 9:00am PT/12:00pm ET/6:00pm CET.

The vinyl will be available while supplies last, but the posters will be timed editions with pre-orders that end on 9:59pm PT on Wednesday, September 30 (1:59am ET / 9:00am CET Thursday, October 1). In other words, after pre-orders close, they’re gone and won’t be printed again. Keep your eyes on MondoShop.com for more information and don’t miss out!

Announcing The Last of Us Board Game

Tabletop gamers, rejoice! The Last of Us Board Game is coming. We’re excited to announce our new partnership with the talented team at CMON, makers of Bloodborne: The Board Game and God of War: The Card Game, to develop a brand new board game for The Last of Us. Our love of games--digital, card, board, or otherwise--knows no bounds, and we couldn’t be more excited to be bringing the characters and world of The Last of Us to a tabletop format. Development is already underway, and we can’t wait to share more info with you when the time is right. For more info, be sure to check out the full announcement over on CMON.com.

The Last of Us Part II Abby Cosplay Guide

Each week on our social media channels, we spotlight the meticulously crafted costumes, props, and makeup created by The Last of Us cosplay community. We’re continually in awe of the level of thought and care that goes into representing our characters, which is why, last year, we wanted to share our support by releasing an official cosplay guide for Ellie. The response was incredible, and we’re proud to follow it up with an official cosplay guide for Abby.

This downloadable PDF features high-resolution renders of every facet of Abby’s design, including detailed shots of her clothing, weapons, equipment, and hair style. You can also find information about materials, color reference, and more.

We’ve already received some incredible Abby cosplay submissions in the months since launch, so we can’t wait to see what you can do with this additional reference. Be sure to share your cosplay and other creations with us via naughtydog.com/ugc.

New The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II Premium Statues and Figures

For all of the collectors out there, we have new The Last of Us statues to add to your display cases!

First up, we’ve collaborated once again with Gaming Heads--makers of the Clicker statue we revealed for The Last of Us Day 2015--to produce a new 16” Ellie statue from The Last of Us Part II that is available in three unique editions. In the base version, Ellie stands at the ready with her machete, while the Stealth Edition adds interchangeable arms and a head piece that allow you to alter Ellie’s expression and swap out her machete for a bow. A special Hunter Version offers everything in the Stealth Edition, but features a special paint finish. All three can be pre-ordered starting today and more info can be found via GamingHeads.com.

Next, for the fans that have been with us from the beginning, we have brand new modular figures from Mamegyorai Collectibles. Sculpted and painted by Masato Ohata, these two individual figures of Ellie and Joel stand at 1/9th scale and can be displayed individually or adjoined to form a unified scene. The set is available for pre-order via Mamegyorai’s website and will ship in March of next year.

Free New The Last of Us Part II PS4 System Theme

As we thought about introducing players to the experience of The Last of Us Part II, we wanted the main menu to symbolize the journey you were about to take and, once finished, the one you’ve taken. For The Last of Us Day, we wanted to take that final parting image of the boat washed ashore with the waves gently rolling onto the beach and make it into a dynamic system theme, so that you can enjoy it anytime you load up your PS4 system --and we’re making it available to everyone for free. Get it now on PlayStation Store.

To top it off, we’re also making all of our existing The Last of Us Part II themes and avatars free on PlayStation Store from now until Monday, September 28 at 11:59pm PT. Don’t miss out.

Save on The Last of Us Remastered, Left Behind, and on The Last of Us merch

Oh, we’re not done! Rounding out our celebrations for The Last of Us Day, PlayStation Gear Store is introducing new items to their The Last of Us collection, including the Joel Funko Pop! (while supplies last) and a brand new t-shirt and mug available tomorrow. There will also be a limited number of the special edition The Last of Us Part II Taylor 314ce and GS Mini guitars back on the store for The Last of Us Day--for one day only--so if you missed an opportunity to grab one in July, you’ve got another shot.

Existing The Last of Us merch not added for The Last of Us Day will be discounted up to 40% on PlayStation Gear Store and PlayStation Store will be hosting a The Last of Us Day Sale with a 50% discount on The Last of Us Remastered, The Last of Us: Left Behind, and select The Last of Us Remastered Factions Bundles all weekend.

The Last of Us Day PlayStation Gear Store and PlayStation Store sales start today and end on Monday, September 28 at 11:59pm PT!

The Last of Us Part II Photo Mode Contest

With every Photo Mode post we receive on social media, we get to see our own game through a new lens -- yours. The way you’ve been able to capture the characters, landscapes, and emotions of The Last of Us Part II in Photo Mode is so inspiring and for The Last of Us Day, we wanted to share our appreciation. That’s why, we’ll be kicking off a brand new The Last of Us Part II Photo Mode Contest for the month of October. Each week, we’ll select winners that will receive a coveted Ellie Edition and runners up that will earn a The Last of Us Part II Limited Edition DualShock 4.

To enter, all you have to do is capture your masterpiece in The Last of Us Part II’s Photo Mode and share it with us via NaughtyDog.com/ugc and include your name, address, and date of birth between Thursday, October 1 12:01am PT and Thursday, October 29 11:59pm PT. We’ll be selecting one winner a week every Friday starting on October 9 until Friday, October 30 and featuring the winners on Naughty Dog’s social media channels. The contest is open to fans who are 18 years or older and legal residents of the United States (excluding Arizona) and Canada (excluding Quebec). Void in Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories and possessions and overseas military installations and where prohibited or restricted by law. For full T&Cs, visit naughtydog.com/TLOUDayContest.

We can’t wait to see what you create!

We’ve covered a lot here, but we have a few other things up our sleeves for tomorrow’s The Last of Us Day festivities. Be sure to check TheLastofUs.com/TLOUDay tomorrow and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to get all the latest updates.

*Available via patch 1.05. Internet connection and an account for PlayStation Network required.

Grounded Difficulty Returns, Plus New Permadeath Mode

For veteran The Last of Us fans, Grounded difficulty represents the ultimate test of skill. This difficulty raises the stakes by not only making enemies deadlier and ammo, upgrade, and crafting materials incredibly scarce, but also removing invaluable tools for survival, such as disabling Listen mode, deactivating elements of the HUD, and more**. Beginning with the update, Grounded will become one of the base difficulty options available when starting the story, so you won’t need to have beaten the game once already to access it.

As an additional layer of challenge, we’re also introducing a brand new Permadeath mode***. With this custom mode enabled, there are no second chances--you must complete the entire game without dying or start over from the beginning. However, if taking on the whole game is too daunting, you can choose to enable Permadeath mode with checkpoints on a per-chapter or per-act basis. In other words, if you die at the end of Day One, you’ll have to play the entire day over again.

You’ll also be rewarded for your efforts. The Grounded update introduces two new Trophies: one for completing the game with any Permadeath mode enabled and another for beating it on Grounded difficulty. Don’t worry, though, neither of these Trophies will be required in order to earn the Platinum.

New Graphics, Audio, and Gameplay Modifiers

Have you ever wondered what The Last of Us Part II would look like as a cel-shaded adventure or if it was made in the retro 8-bit era? How about if it was a black and white noir thriller or sepia-toned classic? With this week’s update, we’re adding nearly 30 new graphics rendering modes, as well as several new audio modifiers that allow you to change the look and feel of the game.

We’re also debuting new unlockable gameplay modifiers, like One Shot or Touch of Death that enable one-hit kills or Infinite Ammo, Infinite Crafting, or Infinite Listen Mode Range to add a new twist to gameplay:

• Mirror World
• Mirror on Death
• Slow Motion
• Bullet Speed Mode
• Infinite Ammo
• Infinite Crafting
• Infinite Melee Durability
• Infinite Listen Mode Range
• One Shot
• Touch of Death
• 8-bit Audio
• 4-bit Audio
• Helium Audio
• Xenon Audio
• Saves now display playtime up to the second
• Film Grain Adjustment option
• Disable Listen Mode option
• Motion Sensor Function Aiming option
• Arc Throw HUD Display option
• Aiming Acceleration Scale option
• Aiming Ramp Power Scale option
• Accessibility improvements to Ground Zero encounter, collectible tracking, Enhanced Listen Mode for collectibles, and rope gameplay

All of these modifiers can be accessed via the Extras menu and unlocked after completing the game.

New Options and Improvements

Alongside these new modes, we’re excited to introduce a number of frequently requested improvements to the game, including the option to disable Listen Mode, adjust Film Grain levels, additional display options, improvements to accessibility features, and more. For our friends in the speedrunning community, we’re also adding the ability to see playtime up to the second in the saves menu, making it easier to track and verify your runs. Here’s a quick overview of the new features that will be added with the Grounded update:

• Saves now display playtime up to the second
• Film Grain Adjustment option
• Disable Listen Mode option
• Motion Sensor Function Aiming option
• Arc Throw HUD Display option
• Aiming Acceleration Scale option
• Aiming Ramp Power Scale option
• Accessibility improvements to Ground Zero encounter, collectible tracking, Enhanced Listen Mode for collectibles, and rope gameplay

We hope you enjoy everything coming to The Last of Us Part II with the Grounded update and we can’t wait for all of your awesome gameplay videos and live streams as you take on Grounded difficulty and Permadeath mode. Be sure to keep sharing them with us by following and tagging Naughty Dog on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

*Available via patch 1.05. Internet connection and an account for PlayStation Network required.
**In-game pre-order bonuses and some options and gameplay modifiers are disabled during Grounded difficulty gameplay.
***Some options and gameplay modifiers are disabled during Permadeath mode.

When we set out to make this game, we knew it would be risky. We’re fortunate that so many of you loved The Last of Us and that it left a lasting impression. These characters and their stories mean so much to us, as we know they do to so many of you. Which is why we didn’t take lightly the task of returning to their world for another story. In fact, we debated this for a while whether we should, but the problem was that we had landed on a story concept that inspired us. It felt thrilling and intrinsic to the world of The Last of Us, but more importantly, it felt like a story that needed to be told.

On the surface, it may seem like a simple “revenge story,” but as you dive into the game, its deeper themes will emerge. This is a story of obsession and the lengths we will go to for justice and the ones we love--when is it time to let go? And when should you hold on at any cost? This is a story of trauma, redemption, and empathy.

Seven years ago, we set out to create a video game that would explore these challenging themes. Since then, hundreds of talented developers have dedicated their passion to bring this vision to life.

We crafted a character driven story, focusing on flawed individuals and the difficult choices that they make. As you experience it with them, we hope you’ll laugh, cry, and even feel their struggle through heavy moments that are designed to be emotionally challenging. Most of all, we hope this game inspires in you the kind of philosophical debates we had while making it.

On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, thank you for being a part of this journey.

Until next time, endure and survive!

-Neil

Accessibility Presets

One challenge in creating a large number of configurable options is making you aware of which options might be relevant for your needs. In addition, many features were created to work well in concert with one another. To help with this, we created three accessibility presets that configure all the recommended settings for vision, hearing, and motor accessibility. While we hope these will provide a good starting point, you can always go through and tweak individual options, even after selecting a preset.

Alternate Controls

For the first time in a Naughty Dog game, we are offering full control customization. This allows you to remap every command to a different controller input, including touch pad swipes and controller shake. Because holding or rapidly tapping buttons can be challenging for some players, we have individual options to change every button hold into a toggle, and every rapid press into a hold. Returning from Uncharted 4, we also provide expanded options for camera assistance and lock-on aim.

Input Remap

Holds and Presses

*Internet connection required.

Assistance

Magnification and Visual Aids

Text, UI, and gameplay elements that are too small or difficult to read can be frustrating. To address these issues, we created options to fine-tune the HUD size, color, and contrast. Our new High Contrast Display is a special render mode that provides more contrast for in-game elements. We also provide a Screen Magnifier, which allows you to zoom-in on any part of the screen using the DUALSHOCK 4 touch pad.

Motion Sickness

Simulated 3D movement can be a source of motion sickness for many players. To create a more visually comfortable experience, we provide options to adjust camera shake, motion blur, camera follow distance, and even field of view. We also provide an option for a persistent white dot in the center of the screen, which can alleviate the sensation.

Navigation and Traversal

Making a game that's accessible for blind and low-vision players means providing new ways of navigating the game world. Navigation Assistance can be used to guide you along the golden path of story progression or you can use Enhanced Listen Mode to go off and find enemies or pickups instead. To help you move through the game world, we also provide options for simplified traversal input, ledge guard, and the ability to skip puzzles altogether.

Text-to-Speech and Audio Cues

Any information that is only represented visually is unavailable to a blind player. To address this discrepancy, we created several options to convey this information through sound and controller vibration instead. Traversal and Combat Audio Cues work alongside the game's audio to map easily identifiable sounds to commonly used actions (scavenging pickups, jumping across gaps, dodging incoming melee attacks, etc.). These audio cues are catalogued in an audio glossary that you can refer back to at any time. Additionally, our menus and other on-screen text can be voiced using the Text-To-Speech* option. For those that have their language set to English and Text-to-Speech* enabled at the console level, The Last of Us Part II will automatically enable Text-to-Speech for you in-game.

* Text-to-speech features available in all supported languages**, except for Thai

Text-to-Speech Audio Cues

Audio Volumes

Combat Accessibility

Because we want combat in The Last of Us Part II to be accessible for all players, we provide a number of options that can significantly alter the gameplay experience. For instance, the Invisible While Prone feature allows you to experience stealth gameplay that might otherwise be inaccessible. If you have difficulty aiming, you can give yourself more time by enabling Slow Motion while aiming. Our goal is to provide you with all the tools you need to make the combat experience enjoyable and challenging.

HUD

If you’re deaf, hard-of-hearing, or need to play at low or no volume, you may not be able to access gameplay information that is only represented through audio. To address this discrepancy, we provide several options to display this information visually instead. Awareness Indicators allow you to determine when you’re being spotted in stealth; they also can be set to persist during combat, pointing in the direction of high-threat enemies.

*Internet connection required.

Subtitles

Subtitles are an extremely popular accessibility feature, and we wanted to provide you with a wide array of customization options for them. You can tweak the size and color, add a dark background for contrast, enable speaker names, and even a directional arrow for offscreen speakers. For the first time in a Naughty Dog game, we also allow you to enable subtitles for all systemic enemy dialogue during stealth and combat.

Game Difficulty

As an extension of our accessibility features, The Last of Us Part II also includes expanded difficulty options. At launch, we provide five different challenge levels: Very Light, Light, Moderate, Hard, and Survivor. We also allow you to customize specific aspects of difficulty to your needs or desired experience. You can individually tweak difficulty settings related to incoming damage, enemy and ally effectiveness, stealth, and resources. Trophies are not limited by difficulty.

We look forward to having players leverage these features and continuing to drive awareness and advocacy for accessibility support in games together. Alongside everyone at the studio, we’d like to recognize all of the people that helped make these features possible, including our partners at PlayStation, Worldwide Studios, and our accessibility consultants: Brandon Cole, James Rath, Paul Lane, Josh Straub, Steve Saylor, Morgan Baker, and Ian Hamilton. Thank you for all of your incredible support and guidance.

** Supported Text-to-Speech languages include: English, UK English, French, Italian, German, Danish, Turkish, Russian, Czech, Greek, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Croatian, LATAM Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese

We’ll have more to share with you as we enter this final stretch before launch, so keep your eyes peeled for updates by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Head over to the PlayStation Blog to learn all about them, but for now, check out the gallery below and this quote from our own John Sweeney, Art Director on The Last of Us Part II, about the design inspiration for the Limited Edition The Last of Us Part II PlayStation 4 Pro:

When we first revealed The Last of Us Part II, we had no idea how quickly fans would embrace Ellie’s tattoo. Within a day, we started seeing real-life versions showing up on social media and fans have been sharing photos of their new tattoos with us week after week ever since.

When the opportunity arose to create a custom PS4 Pro for The Last of Us Part II, I worked with our graphic designer at the time, Angel Garcia, and we considered a few different ideas, but we kept coming back to Ellie’s tattoo. By that point, it had become a symbol of the game and for the community--much like the Firefly logo in the first game. It was the clear choice, but we wondered: what if it could be engraved? It hadn’t been done before, so we weren’t sure it was even possible, but thanks to the incredible efforts of the teams at PlayStation, we found a way.

The result is something we feel is really special--a design that honors the passion of our incredible fans and that we ourselves would be proud to own.

We can’t wait for you to see it in person and for you to experience The Last of Us Part II for yourselves!

For all the latest on The Last of Us Part II, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Last of Us Part II is by far the largest and most ambitious game we’ve ever made and there will be so much for you to dig into when it arrives on June 19th. Leading up to launch, we’re releasing a brand new series of videos breaking down key aspects of the game. Each video will feature interviews with members of our team as we discuss the design, technology, and ideas that have shaped the development of our game over the last six years.

We’re kicking things off by taking a closer look at the story in The Last of Us Part II, including some of the core themes we’re exploring, a glimpse into Ellie and Joel’s life in Jackson, and how we’re broadening the world and cast of characters. Don’t worry, we’re keeping all episodes spoiler-free and there will be so much more for you to dig into on June 19th! Check it out:

From here on out, we’ll be releasing new videos every week for the next three weeks. Here’s what to expect and when:

• May 13th: Inside the Story
• May 20th: Inside the Gameplay
• May 27th 28th: Inside the Details
• June 3rd: Inside the World

We look forward to sharing more in the weeks to come! Enjoy!

Episode 2: Inside the Gameplay is Now Live!

Episode 3: Inside the Details is Now Live!

Episode 4: Inside the World is Now Live!

As we ramp up for this final stretch before The Last of Us Part II arrives in your hands, there’s still more we’re looking forward to sharing with you, beginning with the debut of our all-new story trailer that provides a brief look into the next chapter in Ellie and Joel’s story. Check it out:

The pace is only going to pick up from here, so keep an eye out for more exciting news as we count the weeks, days, and hours until The Last of Us Part II launches. Lastly, since many of you have asked, we’re happy to say pre-orders are back up, including digital versions of The Last of Us Part II on PlayStation Store and physical copies at participating retailers around the world. Physical copies will also be available to purchase at launch, but may vary by region and retailer. Check with your local stores to find out more.

Until then, take care of yourselves!

Neil

The good news is, we’re nearly done with development of The Last of Us Part II. We are in the midst of fixing our final bugs.

However, even with us finishing the game, we were faced with the reality that due to logistics beyond our control, we couldn’t launch The Last of Us Part II to our satisfaction. We want to make sure everyone gets to play The Last of Us Part II around the same time, ensuring that we’re doing everything possible to preserve the best experience for everyone. This meant delaying the game until such a time where we can solve these logistic issues.

We were bummed about this decision but ultimately understood it’s what’s best and fair to all of our players. We’re hoping that this won’t be a long delay and we’ll update you as soon as we have new information to share.

We wish you all, your families, and your friends the best of health. Thank you for being amazing fans and your continued support.

Stay safe!

- Naughty Dog

The Last of Us Part II Ellie Edition Returns

You’ve been sending us letters, e-mails, and messages on social media asking if we could get more Ellie Editions in your hands. Since selling out last September, we’ve been working closely with the teams at PlayStation to make more The Last of Us Part II Ellie Editions. We’re delighted to let you know the Ellie Edition will be back and available for pre-order in limited quantities (available at select retailers across US and Canada only) starting Thursday, February 13 at 6:00am PST at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart.com, Target, and EB Games for $229.99 USD / $299.99 CAD MSRP.

As a refresher, the Ellie Edition is packed with all of the collectibles and content found in the The Last of Us Part II Collector’s Edition, but is the only version that comes with a full-scale, fully-functional replica of Ellie’s backpack, an embroidered patch, and a 7” vinyl single featuring music from the game.

Don’t miss out!

The Last of Us Part II Hands-on Demo at PAX East 2020

UPDATE: Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX East in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as “novel coronavirus”). We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern.

Not only did Ellie and Joel’s journey begin in Boston, but PAX East also has special meaning for us: it was where we gave you the first ever opportunity to go hands on with The Last of Us back in 2013. We thought it would only be fitting to return to the city that started it all to give fans the first-ever public hands-on with The Last of Us Part II. From February 27 until March 1, attendees will have an opportunity to play “Patrol”, featuring an early area of the game where Ellie and Dina must venture out of Jackson into the surrounding areas to clear out infected. The demo will span an hour of gameplay and provide just a small glimpse into what awaits you in the full game.

Attendees can visit the booth to play the demo, but space is limited! We recommend securing your spot via the Experience PlayStation mobile app available on Apple Store* and Google Play**. New appointments will be made available each day of the show. For more information about the demo and to get updates about our presence at PAX East, keep an eye on Naughty Dog’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages.

New Collectible Ellie Statue and Concept Art Prints

Following up the 12” limited-edition Ellie statue revealed on Outbreak Day 2019, we’ve teamed up with Dark Horse once again to release a brand new 8” “Ellie with Machete” polyresin statuette. Designed and sculpted by our incredibly talented character artists, this new statuette will be a limited production run based on the number of pre-orders received via Dark Horse Direct before March 13, 2020. After that, it’s gone! You can begin pre-ordering today. Additionally, Dark Horse will be releasing an 8” PVC version of the “Ellie with Bow” statue revealed last year, which will be available at participating retailers this summer.

Our friends at Cook and Becker have launched a set of new concept art prints from The Last of Us Part II. These new pieces join the collection of designs released last year and can be purchased as museum-grade-quality giclee art prints, individually numbered and packaged with a certificate of authenticity. You can see them now on CookandBecker.com.

New Key Art, Wallpapers, and Free PlayStation 4 System Dynamic Theme

Speaking of art, today we’re proud to reveal our two latest pieces of key art for The Last of Us Part II, which explore the two sides of Ellie’s journey: from the relative peace she’s found when the story begins to the relentless pursuit of vengeance that follows.

You can download high-resolution versions of the art as wallpapers for your device of choice via PlayStation.com/wallpapers. We’ve also produced a new dynamic system theme that transitions from day to night based on your PS4 system clock, available now for free.

To get the theme, redeem the below code via the PlayStation Store:

Americas: 4FMP-BBNM-J5L3

Europe/AU/NZ/Russia/Middle East/Africa/India: 9DEK-PKNG-N445

Japan and Asia: Please check out each country’s official PlayStation social channel for more details. Codes expire February 11, 2021 Redeem Region-specific code on PS Store while supplies last.

As we mentioned, this is just the first step on the road to the launch of The Last of Us Part II on May 29, and there’s plenty more to come. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest!

*Minimum iOS v11.3 required.
 
**Minimum Android v8.0 required.
 
Apple and the Apple Logo are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

Over the last year, we’ve been thrilled to team up with Limited Run Games to preserve the original classics as physical releases for the PlayStation 4. The response from Jak fans has been incredible with Collector’s Editions selling out within hours and the Standard Editions within the first week.

However, we wanted to use this opportunity to not only celebrate the Jak franchise, but to support causes we believe in. Today, I’m excited to announce that we will donate all money received by Naughty Dog from Limited Run Games’ sales of Jak and Daxter, Jak II, Jak 3, and Jak X: Combat Racing to several incredible charitable organizations.

• K9 for Warriors
• Child’s Play
• Surfrider Foundation
• LGBT Center of Los Angeles
• AbleGamers
• DAGERS

We’re proud to lend our support to these groups advocating and advancing important work for accessibility, environmental conservation, veterans, the LGBTQ+ community, and children’s hospitals.

This wouldn’t be possible without you—our amazing fans—or our partners at Sony Interactive Entertainment and Limited Run Games, who have championed and supported this vision from the beginning.

Thank you!

Beginning Tuesday, November 19, we’ll be hosting regular streams as our way to connect with you--our incredible community--and play some games from our own catalog, the latest releases from our friends at other studios, and some of our old favorites. We’ll also be chatting with an evolving lineup of new and familiar faces from around the studio.

To kick things off, we’ll be celebrating the 12th anniversary of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune by revisiting the game that started it all! Be sure to drop by on Tuesday as we play the first game via the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection on PS4.

As we get back into the swing of things, there are likely to be bumps along the way, so please bear with us! Since we’re still heads-down on finishing the game, we won’t have anything new to share about The Last of Us Part II, so please set expectations accordingly. When we have something to reveal or discuss, don’t worry--we’ll make it known in advance.

We look forward to seeing you next week!

https://www.naughtydog.com/blog/the-last-of-us-part-ii-delay-statement

To our fans,

Let me cut to the chase and get the news out of the way. The Last of Us Part II has a new release date of May 29, 2020.

I know. It was just about a month ago when we had our big blowout for the game, letting media play over two hours of it along with debuting our new story trailer and revealing the release date. The positive response we saw from our community was overwhelming. You can feel the energy among the team members. After working on something for so many years, it’s invigorating to get a glimpse of validation for all the hard work.

However, it was during the last few weeks, as we were closing out sections of the game, that we realized we simply didn’t have enough time to bring the entire game up to a level of polish we would call Naughty Dog quality. At this point we were faced with two options: compromise parts of the game or get more time. We went with the latter, and this new release date allows us to finish everything to our level of satisfaction while also reducing stress on the team.

While we’re relieved that we won’t have to compromise our vision, we’re disappointed that we weren’t able to avoid this exact situation. We wish we could’ve foreseen the amount of polish we needed, but the size and scope of this game got the better of us. We hate disappointing our fans and for that we’re sorry.

We hope you understand that this additional time ensures that The Last of Us Part II lives up to our collective ambition as well as our commitment to the highest level of quality. We know the extra few months will add to what may already be an excruciating wait for all of us. We are grateful for your patience and continued support. Come next May, you will finally rejoin Ellie in The Last of Us Part II.

-Neil

Here’s a quick recap of how to enter: fire up The Last of Us Remastered, create your Photo Mode masterpiece using the in-game tools, and then share the image with us via NaughtyDog.com/ugc and include your name, date of birth, and mailing address. The contest is open to fans who are 18 years or older and legal residents of the United States (excluding Arizona) and Canada (excluding Quebec). Void in Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories and possessions and overseas military installations and where prohibited or restricted by law. Full rules here: NaughtyDog.com/OutbreakDayContest

Every Friday, beginning October 4 and ending on November 1, we’ll be selecting one winner a week and highlighting their Photo Mode shots below and on our social media channels. Check back each week to see the winners!

Friday, October 1

Congratulations Zachary!

Friday, October 11

Congratulations Mohammed!

Friday, October 18

Congratulations Christopher!

Friday, October 25

Congratulations Christine!

November 1

Congratulations Adrienne!

For all the latest, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Last of Us Part II: Inside The Demo

Earlier this week, journalists from all over the globe had their first-ever hands-on with The Last of Us Part II. Alongside their in-depth coverage and impressions you can find online right now, we've released The Last of Us Part II: Inside the Demo, a special behind-the-scenes video that showcases new footage and shares more details about the story and gameplay featured in the two new demo levels.

Free PS4 System Theme and PlayStation Store Sale

What’s better than a new PS4 system theme for Outbreak Day? A free one! In keeping up with tradition, we’ve released our new The Last of Us Part II Grunge Theme, featuring animated effects, new art, and music from The Last of Us Part II, and it’s available now on PlayStation Store for free. As an added bonus, all of existing The Last of Us Part II PS4 system themes and avatars are 50% off from now until next Tuesday, October 1.

The Last of Us Part II Ellie Cosplay Guide

Since announcing The Last of Us Part II nearly three years ago, we have been floored by the enthusiasm we’ve seen from the cosplay community. Week after week, fans from all over the world have shared photos of their meticulously crafted Ellie cosplay. As a small token of our appreciation and to help aspiring cosplayers, we’ve created an extensive cosplay guide that features high-resolution renders and insights about every aspect of Ellie’s character design--from her distinctive frayed work shirt to the style of her hair. It’s available to download now via TheLastofUs.com/OutbreakDay. Be sure to share your cosplay, fan art, and other creations with us on NaughtyDog.com/ugc.

New The Last of Us Part II Gear

Of course, it wouldn’t be Outbreak Day without new The Last of Us merch! PlayStation Gear Store has just launched a new collection of The Last of Us Part II items, including awesome new Ellie and Joel graphic tees, and black-on-black The Last of Us Part II logo hat. The lineup also includes a new The Last of Us Part II logo tee and a Firefly logo hat.

Best of all of the items introduced for Outbreak Day, as well as all existing The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II products on PlayStation Gear Store are 20% off from today, September 26, until Sunday, September 29. Swing by PlayStation Gear Store to see more.

The Last of Us Part II Limited-Edition Statue and Art Book

For all of the collectors out there, we’ve teamed up with our friends at Dark Horse to create a new limited-edition The Last of Us Part II Ellie Statue and the official art book for The Last of Us Part II. Standing at 12” tall, this premium polyresin statue was designed by our own character artists and features Ellie standing with her bow at the ready. It’s up for pre-order now via Dark Horse Direct and is expected to ship in summer 2020.

Alongside the new limited-edition Ellie statue, we’re also excited to share The Art of The Last of Us Part II--an exhaustive collection of hundreds of pieces of original concept art, character art, and more from The Last of Us Part II. The Art of The Last of Us Part II will be available for pre-order next Monday, September 30 and will release on March 3, 2020.

Win Outbreak Day Posters Signed by the Studio

If you missed our limited-edition The Last of Us Part II Outbreak Day posters from years past, don’t worry! To coincide with The Last of Us Remastered joining the PlayStation Plus lineup for the month of October*, next week we’re kicking off a Photo Mode contest where you can enter for an opportunity to win a set of all three Outbreak Day posters, signed by the development team here at Naughty Dog.

Beginning on October 1, all you have to do is fire up The Last of Us Remastered, capture your Photo Mode masterpiece, and share it with us via NaughtyDog.com/ugc and include your name, address, and date of birth for a chance to win. We’ll be selecting one winner a week every Friday from October 4 to November 1 and feature the winners on Naughty Dog’s social media channels. The contest is open to fans who are 18 years or older and legal residents of the United States (excluding Arizona) and Canada (excluding Quebec). Void in Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories and possessions and overseas military installations and where prohibited or restricted by law.

If your area isn’t listed, we’re sorry and hope to catch you in the future. For a full list of rules and requirements, visit this link: NaughtyDog.com/OutbreakDayContest

On behalf of the entire studio, thank you for all of your passion and support for The Last of Us and helping us celebrate Outbreak Day year in and year out! For all the latest, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

*The Last of Us Remastered is available to active PS Plus members between October 1 and November 4, 2019.

We began working on this game over five years ago. It’s hard to describe the immense pressure of following up the first game. We know how much you love this world and its characters -- especially Ellie and Joel. Believe me, we’re fans as well. We love them. Which is why we spent years crafting a game that we feel will do them justice, telling a nuanced story that deals with the core question: how far would you go to exact justice against the people that hurt the ones you love? It’s a highly emotional story with complex themes that befit the world of The Last of Us. What we realized pretty early on is that we were putting together Naughty Dog’s most ambitious and longest game in our 35 year history. To tell this kind of story the game needed to be massive. Without spoiling too much, here is the brand new trailer that we debuted earlier today on State of Play that just scratches the surface of what the game has in store:

Alongside the trailer, we’re thrilled to reveal the various editions of the game, including The Last of Us Part II Standard Edition, Special Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, Collector’s Edition, and Ellie Edition. In collaboration with PlayStation, we worked hard to make sure these versions would be truly special by including content and items drawn from the game and its characters.

Let's kick things off with the Collector’s Edition, which includes a beautifully crafted 12” Ellie statue, a life-sized replica of Ellie’s bracelet, a custom SteelBook case, 48-page mini art book from Dark Horse, a set of six enamel pins, lithograph art print, and a set of five stickers. The Collector’s Edition also comes with a voucher for digital content, including a PS4 dynamic theme, a set of six PSN avatars, a digital soundtrack, and a digital version of the mini art book.

The Ellie Edition gives you all of the contents of the Collector’s Edition, plus a full-sized, fully functional recreation of Ellie’s backpack, an embroidered patch, and a 7” vinyl record featuring music from the original soundtrack. We’ll also have a Special Edition version that features the custom SteelBook case and all of the digital content found in the Ellie Edition and Collector’s Edition.

For those that prefer to go digital, we have the Digital Deluxe Edition, which includes all of the digital content outlined above, as well as a digital copy of the Standard Edition. If you pre-order either of these versions on PlayStation Store, you’ll instantly receive a The Last of Us Part II PSN avatar featuring Ellie’s tattoo. Additionally, if you pre-order any edition of the game, you’ll also receive two in-game unlocks at launch:

• Ammo Capacity Upgrade: Instantly unlock an ammo capacity upgrade for Ellie’s pistol.
• Crafting Training Manual: Instantly unlock the Crafting Training Manual, which provides access to new crafting recipes and upgrades.

Hold on. We’re not done. Today, journalists from all over the world are going hands-on with two new levels at a press event in Los Angeles--playing roughly three hours of the game! Thankfully, you won’t have to wait long to see and hear more about it. Their impressions and videos will be going live this Thursday, September 26 around 8:00am PT, or, as many fans of The Last of Us know it: Outbreak Day.

Inspired by the day the cordyceps fungus reached critical mass, every September 26 we celebrate The Last of Us community and we’ve got some exciting things planned! Be sure to check back here and follow Naughty Dog on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest.

You are now months away from playing The Last of Us Part II. Your love for our games inspires and fuels us as we work hard and deliver an experience worthy of our fans. We are extremely proud of the game we’re crafting and cannot wait to share it with y’all.

Until then, endure and survive!

-Neil

However, we wanted to make sure we gave multiplayer on PS3 a proper send-off. From now until September 3, 2019 [5:00 PM PT] all multiplayer services will remain intact and we’re making all multiplayer DLC for Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3, and The Last of Us on PS3 totally free. Just fire up PlayStation Store and look for our new free Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3, and The Last of Us multiplayer DLC bundles, which include all gameplay and vanity items. Whether you’re an active player or want to play a few rounds for old time’s sake, there’s never been a better time to experience the full breadth of Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3, The Last of Us, and The Last of Us Left Behind multiplayer on PS3.

Thank you to everyone who has played Uncharted and The Last of Us multiplayer on PS3 and for all of your incredible enthusiasm, feedback, and support.

As always, be sure to follow Naughty Dog on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for the latest updates from the studio.

The Last of Us Part II

We've seen and heard your requests for new The Last of Us Part II merch and we're happy to deliver! Our range includes new shirts, PopSockets, hoodies, water bottles, and even a custom skate deck, as well as items previously available only at events, like the Ellie Graphic Portrait Tee.

Clothing:

• The Last of Us Part II Hoodie
• The Last of Us Part II Ellie Forest Tee
• The Last of Us Part II Bar Logo Pullover Hoodie
• The Last of Us Part II Bar Logo Tee
• The Last of Us Part II Ellie Graphic Portrait Tee

Gear:

• The Last of Us Part II Logo Skateboard Deck
• The Last of Us Part II Logo Water Bottle
• The Last of Us Part II Ellie Graphic Portrait Water Bottle
• The Last of Us Part II Firefly Pop Socket
• The Last of Us Part II Logo Pop Socket

Uncharted Series

We've also got a great lineup for all of our die hard Uncharted fans. Some of our favorites include the Uncharted Sic Parvis Magna cufflinks, the new Uncharted speckled ceramic mug, and Uncharted graphic tee series, which feature a stylized treasures from the each of five entries of the core series, like Drake's Ring from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and the Phurba Dagger from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

Clothing:

• Uncharted Drake’s Ring Tee
• Uncharted 2 Phurba Dagger Tee
• Uncharted 3 Cipher Disk Tee
• Uncharted 4 Libertalia Coin Tee
• Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Tusk of Ganesh Tee
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Hoodie

Gear:

• Uncharted Sic Parvis Magna Cufflinks
• Uncharted Artifacts Coasters
• Uncharted Speckled Ceramic Mug

Head over to gear.playstation.com to see the entire collection and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest from the studio.

Talks and Roundtables

Design vs. Story: How 'Uncharted: The Lost Legacy' Addressed the Elephant in the Room

Date & Time: Tuesday, 3/19 at 2:10pm | Location: Room 3016, West Hall | Speaker: Marianne Hayden – Story Animator

Summary: Who wants to ride an elephant in a Naughty Dog 'Uncharted' game? According to play testers, everyone. Aren't wild elephants dangerous? Yes. How do you keep this plausible while still supporting the need of the narrative? Design at Naughty Dog often influences story, and story, design. Sometimes, the Naughty Dog team has a design idea so unusual and unique they find a way to incorporate it into the story no matter the complexity and cost. From background character to full, peaceful story moment, this talk covers the story and design evolution of the elephant ride in 'Uncharted: The Lost Legacy'.

Multiplayer Roundtable Day 1

Date & Time: Wednesday, 3/20 at 5:00pm | Location: Room 207, South Hall | Speaker: Edward Pereira, Programmer

Summary: Multiplayer games are getting more complicated by the day, developers are starting to manage player counts in one session upwards of 100 players for some very popular modern games. In this roundtable session, attendees will talk about server development practices that range from small, non-intensive, simulations to large scale simulations with ever growing player counts.

Multiplayer Roundtable Day 2

Date & Time: Thursday, 3/21 at 10:00am | Location: Room 214, South Hall | Speaker: Edward Pereira, Programmer

Summary: In the 2nd roundtable session, participants will delve into development best practices. Topics include how programmers can more easily test code that requires many users, and what tools have developers made that give designers the power to make their gameplay scripts network aware?

Multiplayer Roundtable Day 3

Date & Time: Friday, 3/22 at 11:30am | Location: Room 207, South Hall | Speaker: Edward Pereira, Programmer

Summary: The last roundtable session will be less technically focused. Here attendees will discuss the multiplayer space as a whole. The discussion will go over the successes of the past, the current direction of the medium, and dig into what developers wish to see in the future.

Meet Our Recruiting Team

Members of our incredible recruiting team will be around all week meeting with developers to talk about our open roles and sharing updates from the event. Be sure to follow @NaughtyDogJobs and the hashtag #FollowthePaw to get updates on where and when to find them throughout the show!

As always, keep an eye on NaughtyDog.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest from the studio.

We were also proud to join our friends at Media Molecule, Santa Monica Studio, Guerrilla, Pixel Opus, and London Studio in their support of International Women’s Day with a video that features women from across PlayStation’s Worldwide Studios--check it out now on YouTube.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Limited Run Games kicked things off with the debut of Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy in December, dropping both a Standard Edition and a Collector’s Edition that include special collectible items and previously unreleased content. The Collector’s Edition features a poster, Design Archive book, Precursor Orb statue, PS2 Memory Card-shaped USB drive, foil trading card set, and the official soundtrack.. We were blown away to find that all editions sold out immediately!

Following the first set, Limited Run Games will be continuing with the release of Jak II, Jak 3, and Jak X: Combat Racing, beginning today with pre-sales for Jak II. Just like the first Limited Run Games Jak & Daxter release, the Jak II Collector’s Edition features special mementos for the superfan. You can be sure that Limited Run Games has other exciting things in store for Jak 3 and Jak X.

If you’re feeling nostalgic for the entire Jak and Daxter series, don’t worry, the team at Limited Run Games will have news about the Standard and Collector’s Editions of Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing soon. If you don’t want to miss out, follow @Naughty_Dog and @LimitedRunGames for the most recent updates, announcements, and details.

As we were reviewing all of the submissions, it was extremely challenging to narrow them down to only the top five shots, but we managed to do so and we are excited to announce the winners today! Check them out:

Credit: @annarizo13

Credit: @tdegez

Credit: @oPenguo

Thank you to everyone who participated and congrats to all of the winners! For all the latest from the studio, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

We’re excited to continue our collaboration with Mondo with a new The Last of Us-inspired poster for 2018 designed by Sam Wolfe Connelly. Once again, this year’s Outbreak Day poster will only be available as a timed-edition release. You’ll only have until this 9:00am PT this Saturday, September 29 to get one. After that, it’s gone! We’re also teaming up with Mondo to re-release the original The Last of Us soundtrack on vinyl in two volumes, the first of which is available today. Ever since the soundtrack was originally released as a box set in 2015, we’ve heard your requests for a re-release and we’re thrilled to be able to make it a reality!

To help add a little more The Last of Us to your digital life, we’ve also released a new set of The Last of Us Part II wallpapers and launched The Last of Us Stickers for Apple devices. Pop over to the App Store and show off your infectious personality with help from Ellie, Joel, the infected, and other The Last of Us iconography illustrated by Lily Nishita.

We’ve released a new theme song from The Last of Us Part II called “The Last of Us (Cycles)” by the one and only Gustavo Santaolalla. You may have seen Gustavo perform it live at the E3 2018 PlayStation Showcase, but now, the studio version is here and ready for you to listen to on repeat. To go along with it, we’ve also released a new The Last of Us Part II dynamic system theme for PS4 and collection of PS4 avatars that are available for free from now until 9:00am PT, September 27 on PlayStation Store. The PS Store is also offering Outbreak Day discounts on The Last of Us Remastered and other The Last of Us DLC through October 2.

For those that want to wear their fandom on their sleeve, our friends at Insert Coin Clothing have created a new shirt for Outbreak Day featuring Ellie’s tattoo from The Last of Us Part II.

But this is just a quick overview of what we’ve cooked up for this year’s Outbreak Day. Head over to The Last of Us website for all things Outbreak Day and, as always, be sure to follow Naughty Dog on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates.

Happy Outbreak Day!

Has it been a year already? It felt like just the other day, but Uncharted: The Lost Legacy launched exactly one year ago today on August 22, 2017. We’ve been honored by your love for the game and the continued support we’ve seen, including the incredible cosplay, fan art, gameplay videos, and Photo Mode submissions we see week after week.

To commemorate the one year anniversary, we wanted to celebrate your passion for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy with a special Photo Mode competition. From now, August 22, 2018 until 1:00 PM PT on September 5, we’re inviting you to share your original Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Photo Mode creations for an opportunity to win a poster signed by the cast of the game and the development team here at Naughty Dog.

From dramatic portraits and stunning landscapes to your favorite action shots and hilarious moments—we want to see your creativity on display.

So, how can you participate? All you have to do is capture your shot using Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’s in-game Photo Mode tools, Tweet it at @Naughty_Dog with the hashtag #UTLLPhotoModeContest, and follow @Naughty_Dog. You can also submit your shots by completing the form, including the #UTLLPhotoModeContest hashtag in the caption, and uploading the images via NaughtyDog.com/ugc.

We’ll be judging each submission and the winners will be announced on Wednesday, October 3. The Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Photo Mode contest is open to fans who are legal residents of the United States (excluding Arizona) and Canada (excluding Quebec). Void in Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories and possessions and overseas military installations and where prohibited or restricted by law.

If your area isn’t listed, we’re sorry and hope to catch you next time. For a full list of the rules and requirements, visit this link: http://bit.ly/UTLLPhotoModeCon...

Thank you again for taking this adventure with us, Chloe, and Nadine. We can’t wait to see what you create!

We hope the PlayStation Showcase and the reveal of The Last of Us Part II gameplay was as exciting for you as it was for us. We’ve been looking forward to this week for a long time and we’ve been blown away by the response so far--and E3 is just getting started! From our panel at the E3 Coliseum to awesome new merch, here’s a quick rundown of all things The Last of Us Part II and Naughty Dog at E3 2018.

The Last of Us Part II Panel at the E3 Coliseum

Tuesday, June 12 at 11:00am PT (Find Your Local Time)

Tune in as our own Neil Druckmann (Director and Writer), Anthony Newman (Co-Game Director), and Kurt Margenau (Co-Game Director) sit down with moderator Lucy O’Brien from IGN for an in-depth discussion about our The Last of Us Part II gameplay reveal trailer. For anyone following along from home, the panel will be broadcasting live on live.playstation.com and most streaming platforms starting at 11am PT. Meanwhile, those in Los Angeles with an E3 badge can come see it live and in person at the Novo Theater.

The Last of Us Part II on PlayStation Live from E3

Wednesday, June 13 at 4:30pm PT (Find Your Local Time)

Get insights into The Last of Us Part II’s new gameplay features and systems from Co-Game Directors Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau as part of the PlayStation Live from E3 broadcast. The segment will be streamed on live.playstation.com and anyone at E3 can come watch the discussion in-person at the PlayStation E3 booth in West Hall. Don’t miss it!

New The Last of Us Part II Vinyl Single from Mondo

We’ve teamed up with our friends at Mondo to create a special The Last of Us Part II vinyl single with music from our E3 demo and a new song from the game’s score--and it’s available RIGHT NOW on MondoNews.com and at the PlayStation Gear Store at E3 (while supplies last).

The 7” vinyl features “Little Sadie” by Crooked Still, which can be heard in the opening dance sequence of the demo, as well as “The Last of Us (Cycles)” the beautiful new theme Gustavo Santaolalla performed to open the PlayStation Showcase on Monday night. It comes in a sleeve with new, unreleased art from The Last of Us Part II and there are two special color variants for the vinyl itself. A blue version is exclusive to MondoTees.com, while a blood red variant is available at the PlayStation Gear Store at E3.

New The Last of Us Part II - Ellie T-Shirt

Alongside the vinyl, fans at E3 or in the Los Angeles area will find an all-new The Last of Us Part II t-shirt featuring Ellie at the PlayStation Gear Store outside of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Be sure to drop by and pick one up.

Coverage and Updates From the Show

On top of everything else, we’ll be giving interviews, conducting live demos, and talking more about The Last of Us Part II all week long with the press at E3. Keep an eye on your favorite outlets for their coverage. To get the full experience and catch updates from us direct from the show, be sure to follow Naughty Dog on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Six months ago, I promised that we would have something special to share with you at E3 2018 and I’m excited to finally say that the wait is over. Here is the world premiere of The Last of Us Part II gameplay:

In The Last of Us Part II, Ellie is now 19 and has found a semblance of peace and normality living in Jackson. She’s had a chance to be a teenager and forge lasting relationships. When that peace is disrupted by a violent act, Ellie is thrust into a brutal journey of retribution, fueled by a need to bring those that have wronged her to justice, pushing her to her very limits.

From the way Ellie plays to the way she navigates through this hostile world, you’re going to feel her physical, emotional, and mental state expressed through every facet of gameplay. We’ve completely overhauled our engine, developed new combat mechanics, created a new analog stealth systems, and revamped our animation system to fully express Ellie’s desperation, resourcefulness, and unique agility.

We’re also upping the stakes and tension of the world. Our environments are broader, more complex, and more detailed--bringing unprecedented realism, verticality, and player choice to the world of The Last of Us. The human enemies you’ll encounter are now more threatening and capable, using sophisticated communication and environmental awareness to create intense, more dynamic stealth and head-on combat encounters.

All of this is underscored by the characters that surround Ellie and their shared experience. The Last of Us Part II features new and returning characters (including that gruff Texan who’s yet to make his full appearance), brought to life by our latest performance capture techniques and our exceptional cast. This week at E3, Ellie, played by Ashley Johnson, is joined by two new characters: Dina, played by Shannon Woodward, and Jesse, played by Stephen Chang.

We’ve got a lot more to discuss in the week ahead at E3, including interviews and live show appearances. We’re kicking it off with a panel at the E3 Coliseum on Tuesday, June 12 at 11am PT. On Wednesday at 4:30pm PT, our Co-Game Directors Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau will appear on the PlayStation Live from E3 stream as they do an in-depth breakdown of our gameplay demo. Don’t miss it!

Until next time, endure and survive,

Neil

As a small gesture of our thanks, to celebrate the anniversary of Uncharted 4, today we’ve launched a new set of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Stickers for Apple devices and a new Uncharted 10^th Anniversary Theme for PlayStation 4.

Available now on the App Store, the new Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Stickers set allows you to add a little adventure to your conversations with help from Nate, Elena, Sully, and Sam. Add even more flair with the Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Stickers featuring Chloe and Nadine that we released last August.

The Uncharted 10^th Anniversary Gold Edition Theme includes illustrations of iconic moments and characters from across the Uncharted series in a new black and gold color scheme. Fire up your PS4 and find it now on the PlayStation Store.

We hope you enjoy these as much as we enjoyed making them!

For all things Naughty Dog, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

ANIMATION BOOTCAMP: TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Date: Monday, March 19 | 4:40pm - 5:10pm

Speakers: Gwen Frey (The Molasses Flood), Joe Han (Riot Games), Almudena Soria (Naughty Dog, Inc.), Jalil Sadool (Steamroller Studios), Kyle Chittenden (Certain Affinity), James Benson (Campo Santo)

Location: Room 2010, West Hall

Description:

Six animators rapidly deliver their best tips and tricks. They have 5 minutes each to showcase their personal ideas, workflows, and animation techniques.

LEVEL DESIGN WORKSHOP: INVISIBLE INTUITION: BLOCKMESH AND LIGHTING TIPS TO GUIDE PLAYERS AND SET THE MOOD

Date: Tuesday, March 20 | 11:20am - 12:20pm

Speakers: David Shaver (Naughty Dog, Inc.), Robert Yang (NYU Game Center)

Location: Room 20, North Hall

Description:

Waypoints, HUD markers, buddy callouts, cutscenes, forced camera moves and more: these navigation aids are ubiquitous in games to guide players to their goals. But can it be done without them? In this talk, two experts on blockmeshing and lighting present practical techniques that establish mood and naturally guide players through 3D environments.

In the first part of the session, David Shaver shares techniques that developers like Respawn and Naughty Dog use to establish natural level flow via blockmesh design, environment art, FX, audio and scripting. Using examples from shipped games as well as custom material created specifically for this talk, David shows early blockmeshing techniques that guarantee proper playtest feedback and verify layout changes work as intended. Attendees will then see many more "before and after" examples of how the best practices presented here improve a level layout’s ability to guide the player intuitively.

In part two of this session Robert Yang delves into one of the most important yet often overlooked means of understanding levels: light. Lighting is one of the most crucial design tools for setting mood and readability in a game world, but level designers and environment artists often lack the language and theory to collaborate effectively on lighting design. Robert will illuminate what light does for games and show how developers can use it to facilitate specific experience goals for games. Robert's talk begins with a brief cultural history of lighting before moving on to an overview of lighting design theory as well as various case studies.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IN NON-LINEAR SPACES: 'UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY'

Date: Tuesday, March 20 | 1:20pm - 1:50pm

Summit Speaker: Josh Scherr (Naughty Dog, Inc.)

Location: Room 3016, West Hall

Description:

When Naughty Dog set out to make a huge, open-ended area for 'Uncharted: The Lost Legacy', they had to adapt their usual "wide-linear" narrative techniques to allow for more player choice, while still keeping the development of Chloe and Nadine's relationship consistent and natural. In this talk, co-writer Josh Scherr will provide an overview of Naughty Dog's story development techniques, followed by a detailed look at the writing process for this unique area, including: cutscenes and gameplay dialogue, the choices and compromises they made to make it work, and the mistakes they hope to avoid in the future.

As we are kicking off 2018, we have some exciting studio news we wanted to share. During a recent all-studio meeting, we announced some well-deserved promotions:

In recognition of his expanded role, contributing on critical, studio level decisions, Neil Druckmann is now Vice President of Naughty Dog. He’s been a vital part of the management team for some time now, and we’re proud to formally acknowledge his involvement. In addition to his new position, Neil will continue as the Creative Director on The Last of Us Part II.

We’re also excited to announce that Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau are the joint Game Directors on The Last of Us Part II. Both Kurt and Anthony joined Naughty Dog during Uncharted 2 and have been instrumental in leading the design department, and have been key contributors on our subsequent games. Emilia Schatz and Richard Cambier are the Lead Designers that round out the extremely talented design department’s leadership team.

We have such an incredible team at Naughty Dog, and I’m always happy when I am able to recognize those who have made an outstanding contribution to our games and the studio. Please join me in giving them all a big congratulations!

This week, we’re headed to the DICE Summit in Las Vegas, where we’ll join our friends and peers from around the industry for some great talks about the process of making games and to celebrate the achievements of the last year at the DICE Awards. For those that can’t attend in person, you can follow along with live stream broadcasts from the event all week long, including a guest speaker session with our own Neil Druckmann, Creative Director and Co-Writer of The Last of Us Part II.

On Wednesday, February 21, Neil will be sitting down to talk storytelling across games, film, and TV with Dan Trachtenberg, the director behind 10 Cloverfield Lane, Black Mirror’s “PlayTest” episode, and more. The talk will be taking place a 2:10pm PT (Find Your Local Time) – don’t miss it!

Then, on Thursday, February 22, we’ll be attending the 2018 DICE Awards, where Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is up for five awards, including Adventure Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Achievement in Character, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, and Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction. The awards ceremony kicks off at 8:00pm PT and will be live streamed on IGN and across a variety of platforms.

We’ll also be posting to Naughty Dog channels all throughout the event, so be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates!

We hope you’ll share these messages of love far and wide, whether it’s on your Valentine’s Facebook wall, in a Tweet, or in a text. For those feeling especially outgoing, you can even download printable versions!

For more Naughty Dog Valentine’s Day cards, check out our designs from 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, or 2017. Lastly, be sure to follow Naughty Dog on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook for all the latest on The Last of Us Part II, Uncharted, and more.

From everyone here at the studio, Happy Valentine’s Day!

We’re just a couple of days away from the kick-off of PlayStation Experience and we can’t wait to spend the weekend with everyone in Anaheim and with all those following along from home. We’ve got a lot of fun things planned as part of our Uncharted 10th Anniversary celebrations, a great panel lined up for The Last of Us Part II, and some cool new merch.

To get ready for the weekend, we’ve put together this handy guide of all things Naughty Dog at PSX 2017. Check it out:

Uncharted 10th Anniversary Cast Signing and Panel

Don’t miss our Uncharted 10th Anniversary panel at 5:00pm PT (Find Your Local Time) live on the PlayStation Experience stage and broadcasting on live.PlayStation.com. We’ve gathered members of the cast of Uncharted, both past and present, for a look back on the last ten years of adventure. Tune in or attend live as Nolan North, Emily Rose, Richard McGonagle, Claudia Black, Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Graham McTavish, and Robin-Atkin Downes chat with moderator Greg Miller of Kinda Funny.

We’ll also be hosting a signing session with the cast at 3:00pm. If you’re at PSX, come on by to meet the cast, receive a special Uncharted 10th Anniversary mini-poster, and have it signed. See the Experience PlayStation app for location information.

The Last of Us Part II Panel and Signing

Not long after the Uncharted 10th Anniversary panel, we’ll be hosting a The Last of Us Part II panel at 6:30pm PT (Find Your Local Time). Our own Neil Druckmann (Director and Co-Writer) and Halley Gross (Co-Writer) will be joined by moderator Hannah Hart and members of the cast as they discuss the making of our latest trailer, revealed just a few short weeks ago at Paris Games Week. Afterward at 8:00pm PT, join Neil, Halley, and the cast for a signing session where we’ll be giving out a The Last of Us Part II mini-poster. See the Experience PlayStation app for location information.

The Uncharted 10th Anniversary Booth

If you’re going to be on the ground in Anaheim, be sure to drop by the Uncharted 10th Anniversary booth, where we’ll have game stations, a photo opp, and a real-life recreation of Nathan Drake’s attic from Uncharted 4. On Saturday and Sunday, team up with friends and other fans at PSX to explore the attic and to discover clues to solve a puzzle crafted by Nate. You can also check out a display of rare relics and props from the Uncharted series, gather around for a group photo at the photo booth, or get hands-on time with Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, or Uncharted: The Lost Legacy at one of our game stations.

Can’t make it to the show? Don’t worry; we’ll be sharing the experience on Naughty Dog’s social channels. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to see photos, updates, and more from PSX.

New Uncharted 10th Anniversary and The Last of Us Part II Merch

We’ll also be debuting some new merch for Uncharted 10th Anniversary and The Last of Us Part II at PSX! First up, we’ve developed a range of five Uncharted 10th Anniversary shirts – one for each of the core Uncharted games – with art inspired by the iconic treasures of each game. Check them out:

We’ve also worked with artist Paul Mann and iam8bit to produce a limited-edition Uncharted 10th Anniversary poster, which will be available for sale at the iam8bit booth.

Speaking of iam8bit, you may have caught the news earlier this week about the Uncharted: The Lost Legacy soundtrack receiving a two-disc vinyl release. The vinyl will be up for pre-order starting Saturday at the iam8bit booth at PSX, as well as on iam8bit.com. Those that pre-order over PSX weekend will also receive a special Uncharted: The Lost Legacy slip mat.

For our incredible The Last of Us community, we’re also excited to introduce a new The Last of Us Part II-inspired t-shirt featuring an original design from Greg Coulton.

Be sure to check out these and other Uncharted and The Last of Us merch at the PlayStation Gear Store and iam8bit booths all weekend long while supplies last.

Uncharted 10th Anniversary Snapchat Filter

Last, but certainly not least, while you’re checking out our Uncharted 10th Anniversary celebrations at PSX, be sure to tag your posts with #Uncharted10 and if you’re an avid Snapchat fan, use our Uncharted 10th Anniversary geofilter, available at the Anaheim Convention Center throughout the weekend.

We can’t wait to see you all this weekend and share the experience with everyone tuning in from around the world. For more on Naughty Dog @ PSX, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

This Sunday, November 19, marks the 10th anniversary of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune first release in North America. At the time, we knew it was the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the studio’s history, but never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined that it would be the first step in an adventure that would span five games across two console generations during the last decade. We’re truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to build the world of Uncharted and tell unbelievable stories with Nate, Elena, Sully, Sam, Chloe, Nadine, and the rest of the cast; all while you, our biggest fans, were along for the ride.

We’re commemorating the Uncharted 10th Anniversary with a month long celebration, beginning Sunday and culminating at PlayStation Experience 2017.

Join us as we take a look back with a new video that revisits some of the most beloved moments from Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune through Uncharted: The Lost Legacy:

We’ve also teamed up with PlayStation to create and release a new Uncharted 10th Anniversary PS4 system theme and profile avatar, which will be available for free for 48 hours--from Sunday, November 19 at 8:00am PT until 8:00am PT, Tuesday, November 21. During this period, other select Uncharted PS4 system themes and avatars will also be free. Visit the PlayStation Store and look for an “UNCHARTED 10th Anniversary Bundle”. Don’t miss it.

For our multiplayer fans, starting later today until December 19, we’re giving away an Uncharted 10th Anniversary character skin bundle in Uncharted 4 and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy multiplayer, which includes some classic skins for Nate, Elena, and Sully. We’re also hosting a 50% off sale on all Uncharted Point and Relic items until December 19.

We’ll wrap up the Uncharted 10^th Anniversary celebrations at PSX with event activities, including a special retrospective panel featuring members of the cast of Uncharted and a show floor puzzle room experience set in a life-sized recreation of Nate’s Attic. We’ll also have new Uncharted 10th Anniversary merchandise available at the PlayStation Gear Store booth. Be sure to tune-in for the panel on Saturday, December 9 at 5:00pm PT on live.playstation.com and follow Naughty Dog and PlayStation social channels all weekend long to see updates from the event.

On behalf of everyone at the studio, thank you for 10 incredible years of Uncharted.

After nearly a year since our announcement that we’re working on The Last of Us Part II, we’re finally ready to reveal a bit more of the game. The following is an all-new in-game cutscene on the latest iteration of the Naughty Dog engine, running on a PlayStation 4 Pro. Enjoy!

At its core, The Last of Us is still very much about Ellie and Joel, but for this reveal, we wanted to showcase several new characters that are integral to their next journey. We’re sure you have many questions after watching this scene. We’re also pretty sure that we’re going to see all sorts of theories about whom these characters are, where and when this scene takes place, and how all of this fits into Ellie and Joel’s next story. For now we’re keeping mum, but we’re excited to see what y’all make of this piece of the puzzle.

With all of Naughty Dog working on The Last of Us Part II, we’re making great headway into the project. From art, technology, gameplay, and story, this is by far our most ambitious game yet. You’re in for an intense, beautiful, harrowing, and emotionally moving ride. We’re extremely proud of the game we’re crafting and can’t wait to show you even more – and we promise you won’t have to wait as long for the next big reveal!

Until next time, endure and survive!

We have recently read on social media that an ex-employee of Naughty Dog, Dave Ballard, claims he was sexually harassed when he worked at Naughty Dog. We have not found any evidence of having received allegations from Mr. Ballard that he was harassed in any way at Naughty Dog or Sony Interactive Entertainment. Harassment and inappropriate conduct have no place at Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment. We have taken and always will take reports of sexual harassment and other workplace grievances very seriously. We value every single person who works at Naughty Dog and Sony interactive Entertainment. It is of utmost importance to us that we maintain a safe, productive workplace environment that allows us all to channel our shared passion for making games.

The first-ever tournament begins Sunday, October 8 and registration is now open! To get you ready to compete, here’s a quick overview of how to get started with Team Tournaments in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Uncharted 4 Multiplayer.

With PS4 5.00 installed, you’ll want to head over to the Events menu on your PS4 and find the new and improved Tournaments section. From here, you’ll be able to join or create teams, manage team rosters, and more. From the Tournaments menu, you can also browse and enroll in ongoing tournaments, view match schedules and rules, check standings, and communicate directly with your team.

Once you’ve registered for a tournament, you’ll be able to access the new Tournaments menu within Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Uncharted 4 Multiplayer. When it’s time to compete in a scheduled match, you’ll be able to matchmake with the opposing team and see player information directly from this menu. All you have to do is log in on time, hit “Play Tournament Match,” and play. You’ll automatically be paired with your teammates, matched against the appropriate team, and the results will be posted to the official tournament standings.

We’re excited to support Team Tournaments and look forward to seeing competitions unfold in the weeks and months to come.

For all the latest on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Uncharted 4 Multiplayer, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

This year marks our fourth Outbreak Day and we’re kicking things off with a brand-new The Last of Us Part II poster, new PS4 system theme, and t-shirt, as well as hosting a week of sales on select The Last of Us content on the PlayStation Store.

As a follow-up to last year’s poster, we’ve once again teamed up with artist Kevin Tong and Mondo to create an all-new The Last of Us-inspired poster. To ensure everyone has a chance to buy one, Mondo is making the Outbreak Day 2017 poster a timed-edition release. Beginning today at 10:00am PT until Friday, September 29 at 10:00am PT, anyone can pick one up via MondoTees.com without fear of it selling out, but after that, it’s gone. Don’t miss it!

Alongside the poster, we’re also launching a The Last of Us Part II PS4 system theme based on the world reveal trailer from PlayStation Experience. Set within the overgrown neighborhood street and firefly graffiti stop sign from the introduction sequence, this new dynamic theme features ambient audio from the trailer, unique key tones, and animated effects. Keep your eyes peeled for it on the PlayStation Store.

Speaking of the PlayStation Store, our friends at PlayStation are also hosting deals on The Last of Us content all week long. There’s also a brand new The Last of Us Part II t-shirt arriving on the PlayStation Gear Store later today!

We hope you enjoy Outbreak Day and we can’t wait to share more of The Last of Us Part II with you. In the meantime, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest and be sure to keep sharing your cosplay, art, and other original creations with us via the Naughty Dog Tumblr.

It’s impossible to summarize 18 of the most influential years of my career in a blog post, but here we are — today, with the heaviest of hearts, I am announcing my departure from Naughty Dog.

This has been the hardest decision of my career. Naughty Dog is home. The Kennel is family. I’ve learned and grown so much from working with this incredible team. But after heading up three extremely demanding projects, and taking some extended time away from the office, I found my energy focusing in other directions, and I slowly realized this was the signal that it’s time to move on.

I joined the Kennel in 1999 as a texture artist on Crash Team Racing. Back before Naughty Dog even had a coffee maker. I was employee #15. From day one, I knew I was surrounded by some of the most talented, driven, and passionate people in the industry. They were pushing themselves to do things beyond what they even thought was possible, which in turn pushed me, and I loved it! I mean, it was also extremely intimidating, but the energy and determination to make something great, something we could all be proud of, was infectious. And that’s the way it still is to this day.

I’m leaving Naughty Dog with the strongest team it’s ever had, and that’s saying a lot. But more than the talent, it’s the people that I’ll miss the most. The work culture at Naughty Dog is about getting out of your seat and solving problems together. It’s what has allowed me to build so many friendships and gain so much respect for this stellar group of people. I get it —“it’s just work” — but when you spend as much time as we do together, in the pressure cooker of creative work and deadlines, you really get to know a person. And I’ve had my share of difficult and humbling moments. But having the privilege to see people grow beyond their concept of what’s possible for themselves technically, creatively, and personally has been the most rewarding aspect of my job and continues to motivate me to do the same. I’m so proud to have been a part of this team. I can’t wait to see what they create in the future.

With the deepest gratitude — thank you to everyone I’ve gotten to work with over the years. I’ll miss you and your energy profoundly. Thanks to Andy and Jason for taking a chance on me and setting the bar. Thanks to Amy and Neil for being great creative partners. Thanks to Christophe for all the support and inspiration — I’ve learned so much from you. And an extra special thanks to Evan Wells. You were the first person I met who truly inspired me to believe in the power of gaming, and if not for you I may never have made it to Naughty Dog in the first place. My appreciation goes way beyond what words can say.

And a sincere thanks to the fans. Knowing I was a part of creating something that touched or moved any of you made this whole thing worthwhile — and now I, too, get to anticipate the next Naughty Dog masterpiece!

As I close this chapter with a heavy heart and an appreciation for everything Naughty Dog has done for me, I open the next with an excitement to continue the journey into the creative process. I don’t have anything to announce just yet, but I look forward to the discovery and to sharing it with you all soon.

You can keep a lookout for any announcements on my Twitter: @bruce_straley

Dog for life,
Bruce Straley

Over the past few months, Bruce and I have been discussing his eventual return to Naughty Dog after his well-deserved break following Uncharted 4. As we talked about it more, it became clear that his time away led Bruce to realize it was time to move on from Naughty Dog, however hard of a decision that may be. Over the years Naughty Dog has had to part ways with many talented team members, and it’s always sad to see them go, but this one is particularly hard for me.

Bruce brought his passion and determination to Naughty Dog over eighteen years ago, starting out as a key member of the team working on Crash Team Racing, and then the Jak and Daxter series. He stepped up to co-art direct Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and was so involved with all aspects of production that when it came time to kick off Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, he was given the Game Director role. He made it his stated goal that Uncharted 2 was going to win Game of the Year awards, and for the first time in Naughty Dog history, it did just that and the studio’s efforts were commended across the industry. But he wasn’t satisfied with achieving that goal – he wanted to build a franchise from scratch. He got that opportunity, and went on to co-direct The Last of Us which won an unprecedented number of Game of the Year awards and would further establish Naughty Dog’s reputation for quality.

Bruce’s drive for excellence and enthusiastic support for his teammates has helped shape the studio culture and will continue to have a lasting impact. For that alone, the entire team is grateful. And for me, I can attribute much of my own personal growth as a game developer to having worked alongside his amazing talent for more than twenty years. It's really crazy to think that much time has passed! And through it all, I’m even more fortunate to be able to count him as a friend.

Although I am sad to see him go, I couldn't be more excited to see what ideas Bruce is working on. We all wish him the best luck on his new endeavors.

Bruce, it’s been an honor. Thanks for everything - keep making it awesome.

Uncharted 4 was a big deal. It was the end for a hero we’d spent nearly a decade with and, 15 months ago, we got to finally share the conclusion of Nathan Drake’s story with the world. It was amazing to see the reception of Nate’s last adventure, and it made all the team’s effort worth it. Then (after a much needed break), we came back to the studio to think about the seemingly unthinkable: Could we make an Uncharted without Nathan Drake?

To us, Uncharted has always been about the ensemble. Over the years, we’ve spent time with many colorful allies and adversaries, each with their own quirks and personalities. We love that everyone at the studio has their own favorite Uncharted character, so we saw this new project as an opportunity to take characters we love and shine a spotlight on them, to really give them the full Uncharted treatment. At Naughty Dog, we don’t embark on a project unless we think we have a story worth telling and new challenges to tackle. With Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, we knew we had something special, and the team was on board to dip in for one more helping of adventure.

Today, just over a year later, you can get your hands on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy--the result of hundreds of the most incredibly talented and passionate individuals in the industry pouring just as much of their heart into Chloe’s journey as any of Nathan’s past. We knew this adventure through the Western Ghats of India was an ambitious one: chock full of touching moments, incredible vistas, daring escapes, and epic blockbuster sequences. Somehow, the team has pulled it off again and the result is truly stunning. It’s a humbling reminder that with the right team, even the unthinkable is possible.

We at Naughty Dog thank your continued support that allows us to make the games we love, with the characters we adore. We couldn’t be more proud of this game, and we hope you have room in your heart for another Uncharted hero.

Have fun out there,

Kurt & Shaun

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is less than a week away from arriving on store shelves and into your hands, but as we count these final days, we’re doing everything we can to help pass the time. As part of our pre-launch preparations, we’re thrilled to be rolling out our new Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Stickers for Apple Devices.

These adorably illustrated stickers will add a little adventure to any conversation with help from Chloe, Nadine, Asav, and a few animal friends. From OMW to YAS QWEEN and so many things in between, these new stickers will add some cute and roguish flair to any exchange.

Best of all, they’re available for free, starting right now on the App Store!

Stay tuned for more updates on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy by following Naughty Dog on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

Arriving alongside Uncharted: The Lost Legacy on August 22, the update will introduce new skins for Chloe and Nadine featuring character models and outfits pulled directly from Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. We’ll also be adding Asav, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’s antagonist as a playable villain character for Multiplayer and Survival, complete with his own uniquely menacing VO.

It will also include Survival Arena – a new take on our cooperative Survival mode that adds over 100 new waves with new enemy types, new Siege zones, and all-new wave modifiers. Survival Arena offers thousands of potential encounter combinations for you and up to two additional players to take on. For your efforts, you can also earn our new Savage Starlight Skeleton skins, unlockable through Survival Arena.

Best of all, the update will be available for both Uncharted 4 owners and for those picking up Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which comes with all Uncharted 4 Multiplayer content*. The community is also unified, so regardless of which game you own, you can team up and play with your friends.

Alongside the announcement of the Survival Arena update, this week, our friends at PlayStation are kicking off their countdown to the launch of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy with new updates to live.playstation.com every day. Check it out to see new videos and earn unique rewards. On Monday, August 21, you’ll also be able to tune in for a special live stream direct from Naughty Dog that will lead up to the moment Uncharted: The Lost Legacy unlocks on the PlayStation Store.

Last but certainly not least, this week Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Stickers for Apple devices arrive on the App Store. Get the message across in your conversations with a little help from illustrated versions of Chloe, Nadine, and Asav—from OMW to YAS QUEEN and plenty in between.

In the meantime, follow Naughty Dog on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to get the latest on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

*(PlayStation Plus membership required, sold separately)

Watch below to hear directly from Shaun and Kurt and see some brand-new footage from the game.

As we enter the home stretch for launch, we'll have more exciting things to share in the days and weeks ahead. Keep your eyes peeled and be sure to follow Naughty Dog on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to see all the latest.

As we count the weeks, days, and hours until you can experience Uncharted: The Lost Legacy beginning August 22, today we’re excited to debut nearly 14 minutes of new gameplay that takes place in the largest playable environment we’ve ever created.

We’ve done our best to limit spoilers, so be sure to check out the gameplay above to see just some of what you’ll be able to see and do in the Western Ghats chapter when Uncharted: The Lost Legacy arrives next month. What’s more, we’ve been traveling the globe giving the first-ever hands-on with the Western Ghats level, so drop by the PlayStation Blog and some of your favorite sites to see coverage, impressions, and more.

In the meantime, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more updates on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

We’re kicking off the weekend with a new in-game event for Uncharted 4 Multiplayer and Survival. From now until Wednesday, July 5, we’re activating double XP for both Multiplayer and Survival, as well as a 50% off sale on all Uncharted Points items in the in-game store. Jump into your favorite mode, including Ranked King of the Hill or the Classic playlist, to earn double XP. You can also score a 50% discount on all Uncharted Points items, like our new sports-themed character skins, new weapons, and more.

Lastly, in celebration of the Fourth of July holiday in the United States, we’re giving away the USA hat to all players! Just log in between now and Wednesday, July 5 and you’ll automatically unlock the USA hat in the customization menu.

For more updates on Uncharted Multiplayer and more, stay tuned to Naughty Dog on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Alongside the debut of our extended gameplay demo from Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, today we’re excited to announce Classic Throwback—our latest DLC update to Uncharted 4: Multiplayer! The update includes Classic Mode as a permanent gametype, Ranked King of the Hill, new weapons, over 80 new customization items, and more. Check out our new trailer and all of the details below!

The update includes:

• Two new weapons:
• Carrigan 53 Long Gun
• GX3-9 Long Gun
• 40 new character skins, including new sports-themed sets
• 21 new vanity items
• 13 new taunts
• 16 new weapon skins
• Three new Survival boosters
• New Ranked season rewards
• Challenges for new items

After debuting in the Beta Test playlist, Classic Mode is now a permanent gametype available from the Multiplayer menu. This back-to-basics mode focuses on core combat and traversal--there’s no in-game store, no Mysticals, and no Sidekicks.

Here’s a full list of the mode rules:

• No store (no sidekicks, mystical, heavy weapons to purchase)
• No marking (Boosters that allow marking will not function)
• No weapon mods or Hero Weapons
• No radar
• Grenades only
• Instant respawn
• Heavy Weapons spawn on the map

We’ve also added King of the Hill to Ranked play! Two teams must compete to capture and control rotating hills. Once a hill is captured, the controlling team must defend it against incoming attacks from the enemy team. Without a chance to respawn, the defending team must fight to maintain control as long as they can and avoid getting wiped out.

We’re also introducing new scoring rules for Ranked. Starting today, your performance grade is determined by your total score, including objective score, offense score, support score. There is also now a bonus for a blowout victory - if your team wins the match by a margin of 100 or more, you get an extra 10 rank points. We’ve also got a brand new set of Ranked Rewards: the Ranked Masks set.

This update is available now to all Uncharted 4 owners now, but will also be included with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy when it launches on August 22.

Last week at E3, we were thrilled share more of what we’ve been working on in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, including the debut of our new story trailer and a never-before-seen gameplay demo at the PlayStation booth. However, we wanted to make sure that everyone who couldn’t make it to the show had their chance to see it by posting it online. Check it out:

The demo picks up after Chloe and Nadine have recovered a critical clue to finding the golden Tusk of Ganesh—an invaluable ancient artifact--and must navigate through the overgrown ruins of the long, lost Hoysala Empire. However, their paths soon cross with Asav, our new antagonist revealed in the E3 story trailer. Asav is a ruthless warmonger that’s also out for the Tusk and will stop at nothing to ensure he gets to it first. This level is also a testament to the beauty of India’s Western Ghats and just a small taste of the environments you’ll be exploring on August 22.

Alongside the new gameplay demo, today we also released our latest DLC update to Uncharted 4 Multiplayer and Survival, which will also be included with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy at launch. The update adds two new weapons, three new Survival boosters, over 60 new character skins and vanity items, 13 new taunts, and more. The update also makes Classic Mode a permanent gametype and a new mode for Ranked play: King of the Hill.

We hope you enjoy our new update to Uncharted 4: Multiplayer and our first gameplay demo from Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. We’ve got more exciting plans for the road to the launch of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, so stay tuned to our official Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram channels.

It’s been an amazing week for Naughty Dog at E3. We opened the PlayStation Press Conference with our all-new trailer for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and over the last few days, we’ve had a packed schedule of live shows, interviews, and demoing never before seen gameplay at the PlayStation booth. Thank you to everyone who came down to see us!

However, we wanted to make sure that everyone following along from home would also have a chance to see the E3 demo. Next Tuesday, June 20, we’re going to be debuting our E3 gameplay demo from Uncharted: The Lost Legacy gameplay live on Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog, starting at 10:00am PT/1:00pm ET/7:00pm CET (Find Your Time Zone). Tune in to hear from Creative Director, Shaun Escayg, and Game Director, Kurt Margenau as they share more details about the game and answer viewer questions.

We’ll also be revealing our new DLC update for Uncharted 4: Multiplayer and Survival, which will be launching later that day and included with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy in August.

Mark your calendars! You won’t want to miss this.

For more updates, keep an eye on our official Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram channels.

The launch of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is just around the corner and we can’t wait to get it into your hands. This week at E3, we’re excited to share a closer look at what awaits you on August 22, kicking things off with our all-new story trailer. If you missed it during the PlayStation E3 Showcase or just want to watch it again, check it out here:

As you can see, we’ve had a chance to take the best of Uncharted—the set pieces, the puzzles, cinematic storytelling, and exotic locales—and tell a completely new story with Chloe Frazer at the helm. She’s on the hunt for the legendary golden Tusk of Ganesh forged by the ancient Hoysala Empire, and to find it, she enlists the help of Nadine Ross. However, if there’s anything we know about Chloe and Nadine, it’s that they both keep things close to the vest. Over the course of the story, we’ll explore Chloe and Nadine’s struggle to trust one another.

But they aren’t the only ones searching for the Tusk. The story trailer also introduces our new antagonist: Asav. He’s a calm, calculating, and ruthless warmonger that is waging a civil war in the region. To keep it from falling into Asav’s hands, Chloe and Nadine will travel from war-torn city streets to the depths of India’s Western Ghats mountain range and the ruins of the Hoysala Empire.

Alongside the story trailer, we’re also debuting our new extended gameplay demo at E3. If you’re visiting the show, be sure to come see us at the PlayStation booth and be among the first in the world to see it. If you’re following along from home, don’t worry–we’ve got you covered. Keep an eye out later this week for details on when you can see the E3 demo.

In the meantime, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more updates from E3.

Shaun Escayg, Creative Director

Kurt Margenau, Game Director

We’ve got some great news! Starting this Friday we’re activating Double XP for each competitive and Survival match completed. You can even earn Double XP in the limited-time Classic Beta Test that will also be running through the long weekend as well! Players can get back-to-basics in this Beta Test that focuses on core combat and movement.

Additionally, until Tuesday, May 30, we’re cutting prices on ALL Uncharted Points items by 50%. Everything from Chests to individual items, like taunts, character skins, and more will be half off. The 50% off sale also applies to the savings already offered by Bundles for a total discount of 67%.

This special extended weekend event runs until the morning of Tuesday, May 30.

This weekend, we’re gearing up for another in-game event for Uncharted 4 Multiplayer. Starting this Friday, May 5, Classic Mode comes back to the Beta Test Playlist, offering a new take on our back-to-basics gametype for you to try out and share your feedback on. In celebration of Classic Mode’s return and the Cinco De Mayo holiday, we’re activating a 50% Relic bonus for all Challenges and giving away the Mexico Cap vanity item.

For our latest Classic Mode test, we’re introducing some new gameplay changes. In addition to no down state or Mysticals, we’re also implementing instant respawns and restricting use of Hero Weapons and the Marking and Combat Marking Boosters. We’re also eliminating all deployable Gear, save for Grenades.

Whether you’re playing Classic Mode, another Multiplayer mode, or playing Survival, you’ll also be able to earn a 50% bonus on all Relic Challenges this weekend. Ahead of Friday, make sure you’ve got a fresh set of Challenges so you can rack up those Relics.

Lastly, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, we’re giving away the Mexico Cap character customization item to anyone who plays Uncharted 4 Multiplayer or Survival from the launch of our live update on Friday, May 5 through the end of the promotion on Monday, May 8. Be sure to jump online to get yours! For more updates, be sure to keep an eye on NaughtyDog.com, as well as our official Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat channels for more updates

We’ve been hard at work since revealing Uncharted: The Lost Legacy at PSX building a story and an experience that joins a new protagonist, fan favorite Chloe Frazer, with all of the hallmarks of an Uncharted adventure. Today, we’re excited to share new footage and additional details about the game you’ve been eagerly waiting for—beginning with our release date. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy will launch on August 22, 2017 in North America for $39.99 USD, $49.99 CAD. The Lost Legacy will arrive on August 23 in Europe.

In December we said that we’re approaching this project as a true Uncharted game—complete with its own deep narrative with complex character development, all-new destinations, refined gameplay, and blockbuster cinematic moments. We’re especially excited to have Chloe as our new protagonist and explore more of her story as she and Nadine venture across India in search of the fabled Tusk of Ganesh. To that end, we wanted to share a new scene from early on in the game as Chloe and Nadine try to unravel the clues leading to the Tusk’s location. Check it out:

Finally, you may have heard that our friends at PlayStation are bringing all four of the original Jak and Daxter PS2 classics to the PS4 via PS Store later this year. As beloved games in Naughty Dog history, we couldn’t imagine a better pairing for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Anyone that pre-orders The Lost Legacy at participating retailers will receive a free digital copy of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy for PS4 when it launches on August 22. For those who pre-order on PS Store, you’ll also get an Uncharted: The Lost Legacy PS4 theme designed by Truant Pixel.

If you picked up the Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Digital Deluxe Edition, Explorer’s Pack, or the Triple Pack, you’ll get Uncharted: The Lost Legacy as a digital download at launch. Owners of these products are not eligible for any pre-order bonuses.

We look forward to sharing more details about Uncharted: The Lost Legacy soon.

Following up on last month’s Uncharted 4 Multiplayer DLC update, which added King of the Hill, new weapons, and more, today, we’re excited to introduce Treasury—an all-new map set in the crumbling ruins of Libertalia’s Treasury building. Available now as part of our latest update to Uncharted 4, Treasury is a medium-scale map that combines tight interiors and wider exterior play spaces that short-to-mid-range players will be sure to enjoy. Things get especially hectic in the gallery located at the center of the map. Dodge quickly around collapsed bookcases to get the edge on the competition.

Today’s update also heralds the arrival of the latest Ranked Team Deathmatch Season and rewards, as well as a number of balance and bug fixes. Visit UnchartedTheGame.com to see the complete patch notes.

As Uncharted 4’s one-year anniversary approaches, we’re continuing to release new content for Multiplayer, as promised in the roadmap we shared just before launch. It’s been an incredible DLC update season so far and we’ve got more to come, beginning this week with an all-new drop this Friday, March 17 that includes a new mode, new weapons, new vanity items, and more.

First up, we’re introducing a new permanent game mode: King of the Hill. It tasks two teams with fighting for control of rotating capture points in order to reach the score limit. King of the Hill requires careful coordination and skilled use of Multiplayer’s core combat and movement systems. However, even if victory seems assured, King of the Hill offers a unique twist--after the score limit has been reached, the losing team has one last chance to make a comeback through what we call the Victory Hill. The leading team must capture the Victory Hill to win, but if the losing team takes it, they get a second chance at glory.

Alongside King of the Hill, we’re also introducing an array of new vanity items and three new weapons: the INSAS and Type-95 long guns, as well as a scoped Krivosk-XS pistol.

Fans of The Last of Us may recognize our new Savage Starlight character skins. Inspired by the in-game comics strewn across the world of The Last of Us, you can now customize select characters in Uncharted 4 Multiplayer with Savage Starlight outfits.

But these are just some of the highlights in this week’s DLC drop, be sure to visit UnchartedTheGame.com to see our full list of new content and changes.

As always, all of our DLC for Uncharted 4 Multiplayer is available to all players at no additional cost with just a simple update to the game. Keep an eye out this Friday, March 17 for our 1.21 patch to get King of the Hill and all of the latest content.

Our next DLC update for Uncharted 4 Multiplayer is nearly here and in preparation, we’re going to be hosting a live stream this Wednesday, March 15 to showcase all of the new content, including new weapons, vanity items, and more. We’ll be kicking things off at 11am PT/2pm ET/8:00pm CET on Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog, where we’ll be offering an overview of the update, streaming live gameplay, and answering your questions. We’ll also be joined by a special guest SanchoWest.

This upcoming update is the latest milestone in our Uncharted 4 Multiplayer roadmap, which began shortly after the game’s launch and has introduced new maps, modes, customization items, and more--all as free updates to the game. And we’re not done yet--our Spring DLC drop is still to come.

For more on this week’s stream, be sure to stay tuned to our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat channels.

I never thought I would be saying something this difficult so soon — after fifteen years here, I am announcing my departure from Naughty Dog. My last day will be on April 3, 2017.

It’s very challenging to come to the realization that it’s time to step away from a career to pursue fulfilling personal ambitions and projects. I am doing it now out of utmost respect for the team and their unwavering dedication to Naughty Dog and our projects. The time has come for me to now spend more time with my family and create a void to see what I can fill it with (which will obviously involve programming).

Joining Naughty Dog in 2002 was the biggest decision for my family and my career. I was excited to join the team that created Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. For me, the biggest appeal was working with the team responsible for games I love to play, ones that also looked stunning and were technically ahead of their time. I would have never guessed what my future at Naughty Dog would look like when I joined the studio as a programmer.

I had the luxury and the honor to work with the most determined, talented and perfectionist people in our industry during my time at Naughty Dog. The collective high ambitions of everyone on the team have led us to ship some of the most awarded and critically acclaimed games of all time. I always smile when we’re asked what our secret is. We don’t have any — we dedicate ourselves to assembling the best and most determined group of programmers, designers and artists we can find. Our “secret” is and, always will be, the talent and drive of the whole team at Naughty Dog. That’s why I can step away feeling confident about the future of Naughty Dog — because the team is only losing only one of its many members.

Twelve years ago, when Evan and I became Co-Presidents, Naughty Dog was facing a challenging future with the transition to a new platform while developing a new engine and an entirely new franchise simultaneously. Looking back and seeing where we managed to take the studio in just over a decade is undoubtedly my biggest professional achievement. Evan has been the perfect partner and I couldn’t imagine achieving the success we’ve had without him. It’s been a privilege to work with you, my friend.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart to everyone I worked with during the last fifteen years, it’s just been incredible.

And to all the fans… I know what’s in store and, with Evan leading the best team on the planet as President, I know that Naughty Dog will continue to blow you away!

Starting today, we’re kicking off a week and a half of deep discounts in the Uncharted 4 Multiplayer Store. From now until Monday, March 6, we’re cutting prices on ALL Uncharted Points items by 50%. Everything from Chests to individual items, like taunts, character skins, and more will be half off. The 50% off sale also applies to the savings already offered by Bundles for a total discount of 67%.

If you’ve been looking to round out your collection of skins or haven’t nabbed some of the latest items added to the game, like our Warrior skins or new weapons like the Desert 5, now’s the time.

The sale runs until the morning of Monday, March 6. For more on Uncharted 4 Multiplayer and Survival, keep an eye on NaughtyDog.com and our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat channels.

If you’re attending the show, here’s a full rundown of all of our planned talks.

Animation Bootcamp: Animating 'Uncharted 4': Workflow and Prototyping

Date & Time: Monday, 2/27 at 11:20am | Location: Room 132, North Hall | ND Speaker(s): Jeremy Yates, Lead Animator and Almudena Soria, Lead Animator

Summary:

Part One: Animation Workflow

In this presentation, Jeremy Yates, Lead Animator at Naughty Dog, uncovers the methodologies used by Naughty Dog to bring the characters of 'Uncharted' to life. He will delve into the unique culture of Naughty Dog as well as uncover the animation pipeline from concept to console, including previs, their motion capture process, achieving seamless transitions, tracking assets, and communicating feedback.

Part Two: Prototyping

In this talk, Almudena Soria Lead animator at Naughty Dog will show how animation prototyping can play a very important role in development. Instead of waiting for design or programming to make decisions about a feature, animators, can help to make those decisions easier by creating prototypes that help visualizing features. Prototypes from 'Uncharted 4' will be showcased.

Art Direction Bootcamp: Cinematic Environment Production for 'Uncharted 4'

Date & Time: Monday, 2/27 at 4:00pm | Location: Room 130, North Hall | ND Speaker(s): Erick Pangilinan, Art Director and Christian Nakata, Lead Environment Artist

'Uncharted 4', Naughty Dog's latest title, took you on an unparalleled globe-trotting adventure. However, the team at Naughty Dog wanted to complement their larger than life destinations and set pieces with quieter, more intimate moments of exploration and character building. They accomplish that by presenting more down to earth moments in the life of their heroes and allowing the player to soak in the richly detailed environment spaces that tell a lot of the story. In this talk, they wanted to use some of their more narrative-driven spaces to walk the audience through their entire production pipeline, from concept to polish. Naughty Dog hopes you enjoy!

Animation Bootcamp: Tricks of the Trade

Date & Time: Monday, 2/27 at 5:30pm | Location: Room 132, North Hall | ND Speaker(s): Almudena Soria, Lead Animator

Summary: Join our own Almudena Soria and other talented developers from Ubisoft, Sparkypants, Lab Zero Games, Vicarious Visions, and Boss Key Productions as they share bite-sized tips for animation.

Interactive Cinematic Sequences in Uncharted 4

Date & Time: Tuesday, 2/28 | Location: Twitch | ND Speaker(s): Jonathan Cooper, Animator

Summary: From initial idea to final polish, animation and design at Naughty Dog work in lockstep to pre-vis, prototype then assemble memorable and cinematic story sequences with the aim to keep the action as “on-the-stick” interactive and exciting as possible.

Multiplayer Roundtable Day 1: Synchronizing Game State

Date & Time: Wednesday, 3/1 at 11:00am | Location: Room 123, North Hall | ND Speaker(s): Edward Pereira, Programmer and Drew Thaler, Programmer

Summary: One of the first tasks for any multiplayer game is connecting players together and getting them to agree on game state. The way this is handled can be impacted by all sorts of things: the game's genre, the target audience, and the expected variety of internet connections involved. Using the group's interests as a guide, this roundtable will explore different methods to keep the state consistent and talk about solutions to problems that arise when dealing with the vast and complicated internet. Topics can include but are not limited to peer-to-peer networking, latency reduction, and bandwidth management.

The Future of Art Production in Games

Date & Time: Wednesday, 3/1 at 12:00pm | Location: Room 130, North Hall | ND Speaker(s): Andrew Maximov, Lead Artist

Summary: With the abundance of emerging technologies like photoscanning, procedurally generated content, neural networks, VR, AR one can find of himself understandably confused and lost in regards to the future of production as the industry knows it today. Join this talk and get together to discuss what a video game production will most likely look like 10 years from now and most importantly, how it will affect YOU as a creator.

The Future of Real-Time Lighting: Panel Discussion

Date & Time: Wednesday, 3/1 at 2:00pm | Location: West Hall 3022 | ND Speaker(s): Andrew Maximov, Lead Technical Artist

Summary: Real-time lighting is a relatively young field within games. It is also one of the most important. As cinematographers have long known, it can make or break the final image, set the mood or enhance the story. But creating real-time lighting in games comes with a unique set of creative and technological challenges. This panel of industry experts will explore current issues in real-time lighting and discuss what the future holds in terms of opportunities and challenges. We will conduct the session in a town-hall style with a moderator and the opportunity for attendees to ask questions to the panel.

Creating Compelling Characters: Insights from a Panel of Character Concept Artists

Date & Time: Wednesday 3/1 at 5:00pm | Location: Room 2020, West Hall | ND Speaker(s): Richard Lyons, Concept Artist

Summary: Creating compelling, memorable characters can be a critical step in the game development process. There are many approaches towards creating characters that resonate with players and audiences and no one technique can always get the job done. In this panel, four characters designers and concept artists from diverse development backgrounds will share some of their philosophies and ideas on how to create compelling characters from four very different perspectives. Their artistic approaches, design philosophies, practical tips, and general wisdom will be explored to help the audience think about character design in a different light.

Realistic Performances in Games

Date & Time: Wednesday, 3/1 at 5:00pm | Location: Room 132, North Hall | ND Speaker(s): Ryan James, Lead Editor

Summary: There's a perceived stigma about the narrative experience in the video games industry: that the average game has (at best) a thin story with cardboard cutout characters. But many companies have worked tirelessly to write relatable characters, capture them though subtle performances with their actors, and translate them into their games. At Naughty Dog, the praise and awards they've received are due to not only the methods they have for writing and recording those performances, but also the ways they seamlessly implement them, and later reconform them as the game evolves. Each developer has their own way of doing this, and in this session, Naughty Dog's lead editor will share some of the methods that they employ.

Physics Animation in 'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End'

Date & Time: Thursday, 3/2 at 10:00am | Location: Room 130, North Hall | ND Speaker(s): Michal Mach, Technical Animator

Summary: For 'Uncharted 4', Naughty Dog, Inc. chose to take a risky step and experiment with adding a layer of physics simulation on top of their gameplay animation for added fluidity and momentum, with hopes that they could also save some production time by creating less assets and letting the physics do the awesome. Initial results were pretty terrible because of the physics' tricky nature and physically absolutely unrealistic gameplay animation. Players tend to prefer responsiveness over reality, after all. But one day, their physics programmer found a way to drive the physics objects with animation more predictably, with minimal distortions and almost absolute artistic control.

Multiplayer Roundtable Day 2: Server Architecture

Date & Time: Thursday, 3/2 at 10:00am | Location: Room 123, North Hall | ND Speaker(s): Edward Pereira, Programmer and Drew Thaler, Programmer

Summary: More and more multiplayer games these days have become full-fledged services that players invest their time and money in. As such, programmers need to build the back-end systems that manage all of this data, foster social connections, and even track financial transactions. In this roundtable, attendees will talk about server technologies to fill these requirements like matchmaking, friends lists, player profile storage, virtual currency, cloud computing, and any other topics the group is interested in.

The Science of Off-Roading: 'Uncharted 4's' 4x4

Date & Time: Thursday, 3/2 at 2:00pm | Location: Room 130, North Hall | ND Speaker(s): Edward Pereira, Programmer

Summary: Creating a vehicle for a AAA adventure title like 'Uncharted' requires an enormous amount of iteration on several aspects of the vehicle in order to make it fun and easy to use for as wide an audience as possible. This session will break down individual physical elements of Uncharted 4's 4x4, such as tire collision response and the motor simulation, and explain how Naughty Dog's team tuned it to handle the rugged terrain of Madagascar. Furthermore, the talk will explain how they added an AI element to the 4x4 in order to allow designers to direct the vehicle around the same spaces the player can drive around.

Authored vs. Systemic: Finding a Balance for Combat AI in 'Uncharted 4'

Date & Time: Thursday, 3/2 at 4:00pm | Location: Room 3001, West Hall | ND Speaker(s): Matthew Gallant, Game Designer

Summary: While combat in the 'Uncharted' series has historically been tightly authored by the design team, Naughty Dog knew early in development that 'Uncharted 4' was going to be different. The open-ended gameplay and large complex environments led them to explore a more systems-driven approach to artificial intelligence. After over-steering in that direction, they ultimately found a balance between authored content and systemic behaviors. This talk explores the development process of 'Uncharted 4', and the lessons they learned about partitioning control of the AI between design and engineering.

Multiplayer Roundtable Day 3: The Ecosystem

Date & Time: Friday, 3/3 at 10:00am | Location: Room 122, North Hall | ND Speaker(s): Edward Pereira, Programmer and Drew Thaler, Programmer

Summary: Beyond the gritty details of synchronization and servers, there's a lot more to multiplayer games. Tournaments, streaming, community building and management, promotions, telemetry, and a host of other topics. This session will be a higher level discussion about all these things and your dreams for the future of multiplayer technology.

Technical Art Techniques of Naughty Dog: Vertex Shaders and Beyond

Date & Time: Friday, 3/3 at 3:00pm | Location: Room 2002, West Hall | ND Speaker(s): Andrew Maximov, Lead Technical Artist

Summary: In this talk, Andrew Maximov is going to do a deep dive into vertex shader pipelines and process using features implemented at Naughty Dog for 'Uncharted 4', as an example. From wind systems to interactivity, to ambient animations, to optimizations, there is a lot of use you can get out of vertex shaders. He's going to cover theory, practice, roadmaps for advancing this technology, and will offer the audience both interesting solutions and interesting problems to solve. There is a lot of unrealized potential for creative solutions in vertex shaders and his hope with this talk is to inform you about another powerful tool in your technical quiver as well as inspire you to do some tinkering of your own. Come by, it's going to be fun!

What better way to share your love and admiration this Valentine’s Day than with a special message from a beloved character from The Last of Us or Uncharted? In keeping with tradition, we’re back with a new set of Valentine’s Day cards that are sure to warm the hearts of those special people in your lives. This year’s designs were crafted by our very own Janice Chu, who drew inspiration from the recent reveals of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and The Last of Us Part II, alongside some callbacks to Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us.

We invite everyone to spread the love and download, print, email, or share these on their social network of choice.

You can also check out the Naughty Dog Valentine’s Day cards of years past by revisiting our designs from 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

From everyone here at the studio, Happy Valentine’s Day!

We’ll be kicking things off at 12:00pm PT | 3:00pm ET | 9:00pm CET (Find Your Local Time) on Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog. Be sure to tune in and share your questions in the chat for a chance to have them answered on-air.

For more updates, keep an eye on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat channels.

Since launching Uncharted 4: Survival just over a month ago, we’ve seen some incredible performances from the community. Players all over the world have taken on the challenge of Survival’s 50 waves and many have triumphed over its Crushing difficulty level. To kick off our first live stream of 2017, we thought it would be great to spend some time playing Survival with some of the mode’s most seasoned players: Team Reapers. This talented team was among the first in the world to play Survival at PSX and went on to hold the fastest completion time of the show.

On Wednesday, January 25 at 12:00pm PT (Find Your Local Time), we’ll be joined by Team Reapers as we play Survival live on Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog, learn their tips and strategies, and talk about what's to come for Survival. We’ll also be answering viewer questions, so be sure to jump into the chat for a chance to be answered on-air.

In the meantime, keep an eye on Naughty Dog’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat pages for updates.

Interested in a killer holiday crafting project? In my excitement in the few weeks leading up to our PSX announcement, I started work on an amigurumi crochet Ellie, inspired by the iconic scene shown in our teaser trailer. I finished her just a few days ago and then got to work writing up instructions on how you can make your own --click here to download the full instructions.

It’s a lot of meticulous work, but at the end you’ll have your very own post-apocalyptic heroine to take with you everywhere. Or put her in a place of honor playing guitar on the edge of your PS4 console! So, totally worth it.

Everyone here at Naughty Dog has loved seeing fans’ enthusiastic reactions to our work. This is a project very dear to us and we can’t wait until we can show some more of what we’ve been doing.

Best,
Em Schatz
Lead Game Designer

Do you have your own The Last of Us or Uncharted inspired creation that you'd like to share with us? Visit our Submit page!

Hey everyone! I’m happy to announce that our next major update to Uncharted 4 launches today, and with it, our new mode: Survival. Survival is our new cooperative mode where you and up to two of your friends can take on 50 waves of increasingly skilled enemies, a variety of challenging objectives and modifiers, and intense boss battles. Feel like playing solo or not (yet) a PlayStation Plus member? You can still hop in and play Survival by yourself. With multiple difficulty levels, its own dedicated progression system, unlockable rewards, and yes, new Trophies--we’re excited for the community to jump in and take on Survival. If you want an in-depth look at what to expect, don’t miss my post from earlier this month that outlines all of the new features.

Survival isn’t all you’ll find in our latest patch—we’re also adding a ton of new content for Uncharted 4 Multiplayer, including two new maps, five flashback weapons, new vanity items and color variant options, as well as an all-new mode: King of the Hill.

• New Maps: Train Wreck (from Uncharted 2) and Prison
• Returning Classic Weapons: M4 Assault Rifle, PAK-80 Light Machine Gun, Micro 9mm Automatic Pistol, Para 9 Pistol, and the Desert 5 Pistol (Heavy Weapon)
• New Beta Test Playlist Mode: King of the Hill – teams to compete to retain control of a single Hill and earn Victory Points. Respawning restricted when your team controls the Hill
• New Character Skins: 48 new character skins, including new Biker-themed skins
• New Color Customization: Customize any character skin with 25 unique color variants
• New Multiplayer Levels and Rewards: Max rank increased to Level 90 with two new vanity unlocks
• New Challenges: Earn Relics with new Challenges for Multiplayer and Survival

Alongside all of the new content in the Survival update, we’re also revamping our Multiplayer economy. We’ve been listening to your feedback and we’re making to changes to the Multiplayer experience to make it more rewarding. Starting today, we’re permanently reducing the cost of in-game chests, making it easier to unlock new vanity and gameplay items. We’re also introducing Relic Boosters that give you a 300% increase in Relics earned for completing matches and also include a stackable bonus for all other players on your team. Anyone who purchases or has purchased Uncharted Points in the past will also earn VIP Status, which includes a permanent 20% bonus to all Relics earned from Challenges. Check out our patch notes page for a full list of the Economy 2.0 changes.

Thanks you for all of your continued support and feedback. We look forward to hearing about your experiences in Survival and seeing you online in Multiplayer! Until the next time, stay tuned to Naughty Dog’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat pages for updates.

The wait is nearly over, Uncharted 4: Survival will launch this week, bringing a new cooperative and solo experience to Uncharted 4, plus new competitive multiplayer content. In preparation for the arrival of the Survival update, we’re hosting a live stream on Tuesday, December 13. Tune in as we debut the new maps, mode, weapons, and more coming to Uncharted 4: Multiplayer, as well as extended live gameplay from Survival.

We’ll be kicking things off at 11:00am PT/2:00pm ET/8:00pm CET on Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog. Be sure to jump into the chat for a chance to have your questions answered live on-stream by the developers. Be sure to stay tuned to our Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat channels for all the latest updates.

Two game reveals, three panels, two meet and greets, 36 hands-on stations, and a live show appearance—PlayStation Experience 2016 was one of the biggest events in our studio’s history. The response we’ve received from the community, both at the show and online, has been overwhelming. Thank you all for your kind words and support. We can’t wait for what lies ahead, but for now, let’s take a look back at PSX.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Revealed

We were honored to have the opportunity to open the PSX Showcase with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, our new standalone story chapter in the Uncharted series with returning fan-favorite Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross at the helm. If you missed it, don’t miss the blog post from project leads Shaun Escayg, Kurt Margenau, and Josh Scherr to learn more about what’s to come in The Lost Legacy. If you want to see the full nearly 9 minute gameplay demo from the Showcase again, check out the video below.

Following the Showcase, we hosted a special Uncharted: The Lost Legacy panel featuring moderator Sid Shuman, Shaun, Kurt, and Josh, as well as actors Claudia Black (Chloe) and Laura Bailey (Nadine). From the origins of the project to the return of both characters, watch below as the team shares early insights.

Afterward, we invited fans to join us for a meet and greet, where they could chat with the developers and actors, as well as have their Uncharted gear signed.

The Last of Us Part II

Alongside The Lost Legacy, we officially confirmed The Last of Us Part II with a world reveal trailer that closed out the Showcase. Many of us from the studio were in the audience and the reception from the crowd was unforgettable. We are truly fortunate to have such a passionate community of fans around the world.

If you missed the panel broadcast, be sure to watch as moderator Andy McNamara, writer and director Neil Druckmann, Ashley Johnson (Ellie), and Troy Baker (Joel) as they talk about coming back to the universe and characters, as well as provide background on the trailer. Once again, all attendees were invited to take part in a meet and greet following the panel.

Between the trailer debut and the panel, we’ve already seen YouTube renditions of “Through The Valley” and fan art. We’ve even seen some early cosplay and today, by popular request, we posted an early concept image of Ellie and high-res graphic of her tattoo for reference.

Uncharted 4: Survival First Hands-On

Throughout the weekend, PSX attendees also had a chance to be among the first to play Uncharted 4: Survival, our new cooperative and solo mode launching this month. We had 36 stations on the floor, where anyone could form a team of three and take on 5 waves, including an intense boss battle. Vinit Agarwal, a Game Designer on Survival, also sat down with PlayStation to talk about Survival as part of their PSX live show. Watch the archive here:

Accessibility: Making Games for All Gamers Panel

Earlier this year, we discussed the accessibility features we were building in Uncharted 4 to ensure that it could be enjoyed by as many gamers as possible, regardless of disability. This weekend at PSX, our own Alexandria Neonakis, a UI designer, joined other advocates and developers Ian Hamilton, Mark Barlet, Tara Voelker, and Josh Straub to talk about the work being done to improve accessibility for all gamers.

Thanks again to everyone who came out to see us this weekend at PSX and followed along from home. Keep an eye on NaughtyDog.com and our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat channels for more updates.

Let’s cut to the chase. The sequel to The Last of Us is happening, it’s called The Last of Us Part II and here is the just released announce trailer:

I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to finally be able to say that Ellie and Joel are back for another intense, harrowing, and emotional adventure. Like many of you, we have a deep love for the world of The Last of Us and its characters, and while a sequel may have seemed like a foregone conclusion, it wasn’t the case. We knew that it needed to be a story worth telling and, perhaps more importantly, a story worthy of Joel and Ellie. After spending years on different ideas (and almost giving up), we finally uncovered a story that felt special—a story that evolved into an epic journey.

It’s still early days for the project--the game’s release is a ways off--but we couldn’t wait any longer to give you a glimpse of what’s to come. We’re going to let the trailer speak for itself, but expect more information about The Last of Us Part II in the coming months.

Until next time, endure and survive!

Neil Druckmann

Director, The Last of Us Part II

We revealed a first look at Uncharted: The Lost Legacy at the PlayStation Experience today with a 9 minute video of gameplay. Check out the full clip below.

Our video shows an early section of the game where we find Chloe in a war-torn city on her way to a rooftop rendezvous with her partner, Nadine Ross. Much like Chloe, Nadine is a formidable and interesting character whose complex nature we just started exploring in her Uncharted 4 debut. She’s a skilled tactician, whose cool, calculating nature offers an important contrast to Chloe’s improvisation and wit. As they venture deep into India’s Western Ghats mountain range, they’ll need to work together to recover the long lost Tusk of Ganesh.

When we began to plot out the story and our vision for the game, we realized we were building something more than an extension of Uncharted 4, and instead, a standalone story in the Uncharted universe. We wanted this adventure to feature all of the hallmarks of the series, from cinematic storytelling set within exotic destinations, to dynamic combat and intricate puzzles. It’s our biggest story expansion to-date and will be available as a standalone game on store shelves and for digital download.

If you picked up the Uncharted 4 Digital Deluxe Edition or the Explorer’s Pack, you’ll get The Lost Legacy as a download at launch. Both versions will only be available until December 13, so don’t miss your chance to get Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy at an amazing value.

Shaun Escayg, Creative Director

Kurt Margenau, Game Director

Josh Scherr, Writer

Since announcing it as part of our Uncharted 4 Multiplayer road map back in May, one of the most common questions we get is: what’s in store for co-op? Well, today I’m excited to give you a first look at Uncharted 4: Survival, our new cooperative and solo mode that will make its public hands-on debut at PlayStation Experience next week and launch in mid-December.

Survival is a wave-based mode where you and up to two additional friends can take on swarms of increasingly powerful enemies and unique objectives. If you played Co-Op Arena from Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3, you’re going to feel right at home in Survival. We’ve built upon and evolved the core gameplay experience with an entirely new level of depth, challenge, and variety. From new enemy types and powerful new bosses to a dedicated progression system and expansive upgradable arsenal, Survival is all about strategy, camaraderie, and skill.

Across 50 waves and 10 maps, you’ll face off against Shoreline mercenaries, heavily armored Brutes, Snipers, Hunters, and more that will only get more precise, more aggressive, and better equipped as time goes on. Every 10 waves culminates in an intense boss battle, including our all-new Pirate Warlords. Inspired by the story of Uncharted 4, some of the Founders of Libertalia have arrived to hunt you down with powerful Mystical attacks. Don’t miss Adam Baldridge himself as the Djinn-wielding Warlord boss in the video above.

But Survival requires more than just dispatching enemies. To reach wave 50, you’ll need to work your way through objective modes where victory depends on defending a particular area, collecting treasures within a time limit, or taking out marked enemies. We might even throw a curveball at you from time to time, like when an active modifier makes it so only pistols, headshots, or melee attacks do damage to enemies. As you take out enemies and complete objectives, you’ll earn in-game cash, which can be used to unlock and equip weapons and gear via arsenal crates around the map. You can buy everything from Heavy Weapons, long guns, Mysticals, and more.

Survival also features its own dedicated progression system, Relic Challenges, and loadouts. As you rank up, you’ll earn upgrades for your weapons, as well as new items, such as Survival-exclusive boosters. There are also vanity items that can only earned by playing Survival, but can be used to deck out your character in both Survival and Multiplayer. Best of all, the challenge grows with you. Enemies will adapt to your increased firepower and there are multiple difficulties to choose from. Those that finish Survival on Hard Mode will unlock Crushing Mode, which as the name suggests, is the ultimate test of your will and determination.

But this is just a small taste of what to expect when Survival launches next month. To see more, be sure to check out IGN’s exclusive coverage and extended gameplay videos. And if you’re attending PSX next week, come see us at the Uncharted 4: Survival booth to try out the mode for yourself.

At Naughty Dog, we strive to make you, the player, feel as though you inhabit the stories, characters, and worlds we create. If we’re doing our job right, every aspect should feel believable and grounded in our fiction and we should elicit the same response in you as the characters are experiencing in the game. The key to it all is in details. Whether it’s animation, lighting, performance capture, dialog, or environment design, we spend a lot of time on even the smallest details that, when they all work together, help establish that emotional connection and sense of immersion.

When we first learned about the PS4 Pro, we were excited to see how we could drive new levels of fidelity and immersion in our games. We’re taking our first step by introducing day one PS4 Pro support for Uncharted 4, The Last of Us Remastered, and The Last of Us: Left Behind. Whether you own a 4K HDR display, normal 4K display, or even just a 1080p display, you’ll be able to reap the benefits of the PS4 Pro with our new game updates. Though, once you’ve seen them in 4K HDR, it might be hard to go back to anything else.

Unprecedented Detail

It’s easy to think of resolution as simply a measure of clarity, but for games, it’s about more than just a sharp, clean image—it’s about a greater sense of depth and scale. The PS4 Pro has allowed us to meaningfully increase the resolution so that you’ll not only appreciate more detail in the textures, but smoother, sharper edges that better distinguish characters, effects, and the environment. Terrain, buildings, and plant life that might otherwise blend together really stand out, creating life-like distance. It’s especially evident in the wide, sweeping landscapes of Uncharted 4, as well as the overgrown cities and towns of The Last of Us Remastered. Perhaps equally important, the higher resolution allows us to maintain that fidelity in motion, eliminating the shimmering that you might see on the standard PS4.

For those with a 4K display, Uncharted 4’s story can be played on the PS4 Pro at 1440p resolution, up from 1080p on the PS4. Multiplayer’s fluid, high-framerate gameplay remains the same, but the resolution has also been increased to a full 1080p on PS4 Pro, up from 900p on PS4. The Last of Us Remastered, on the other hand, allows you to choose whether you want to play in the game’s original target framerate of 30FPs at 2160p or at a high targeted framerate of 60FPS at 1800p.

However, those using a PS4 Pro with a standard high-definition (1080p) display will also benefit. Both Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Remastered will render at the highest resolution and downscale the super-sampled image to 1080p, resulting in noticeably crisp and smooth graphics.

New Worlds of Color

Combining enhanced resolution with an HDR-capable display will only make the benefits of the PS4 Pro more apparent when playing Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Remastered. HDR drastically expands the range of color and brightness in both games, particularly on the lightest and darkest ends of the spectrum. Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Remastered use color in distinctive ways and each highlight the numerous benefits of HDR. Whereas Uncharted 4’s exotic locales leverage a brighter, more painterly composition to highlight HDR’s full breadth of colors, nature’s reclamation of towns and cities in The Last of Us Remastered necessitates a more organic and gritty approach that complements HDR’s deeper, richer black tones. Best of all, HDR support is available on the standard PS4, as well as PS4 Pro.

4K Photo Mode and 1080p Gameplay Clips

The Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Remastered communities have already been able to produce some awe-inspiring images with our built-in Photo Mode tools on PS4. Now, with the PS4 Pro, we expect to see even more stellar creations as players will be able to capture 4K screenshots using the system’s Share functionality. You can also use the Share button on the PS4 Pro to stream at up to 1080p 60FPS or capture in-game highlights at 1080p 30FPS. We hope you’ll share your Photo Mode shots and best gameplay moments with us using our submission tool on naughtydog.com/ugc!

We are really proud of the experiences we’ve been able to create for the PS4 and now bring to the PS4 Pro. We believe that the addition of HDR and 4K technology not only adds a new level of depth, detail, and life to our games, but opens new doors for the future. We hope you enjoy Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Remastered on the PS4 Pro!

Some exciting things are on the horizon for Uncharted 4 Multiplayer. Since launching our last major update, Uncharted 4 Multiplayer: Bounty Hunters, we’ve been hard at work on an all-new co-op experience, new maps, and more. But that’s not all; we’ve also been cooking up a new way for the community to try out new multiplayer modes and give their feedback: a new limited-time Beta Test playlist. Starting later today, November 3, and through the weekend, we’re giving players the chance to try out Classic Mode—a back-to-basics mode that focuses on core combat and movement. There’s no in-match Store, Radar, Mysticals, downed state, or Sidekicks and Heavy Weapons will spawn around the map.

We’re excited for you to check out Classic and hope you’ll share your feedback with us via social, the forums, and our upcoming Beta Test Playlist survey.

For more updates, be sure to keep an eye on NaughtyDog.com, as well as our official Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat channels for more updates.

Beginning with Uncharted 3, we’ve worked closely with ESC-Toy and Erick Scarecrow to create amazing collectibles from the Uncharted universe and The Last of Us. From high-quality pin and limited edition vinyl figures, Erick and ESC-Toy have brought a distinctive stylized approach to our characters. Now, inspired by Uncharted 4, ESC-Toy has returned to release a new Nathan Drake figure. On top of the signature ESC-Toy design, the Uncharted 4 Nathan Drake now has 15 points of articulation and a removable grappling hook.

There are three colorways and two of them are extremely limited. The unique red and black Naughty Dog colorway is back, and only 250 pieces of that will be released. If you’re looking for something even more unique, there’s a bundle pack that includes the regular colorway, the Naughty dog colorway, an all gold colorway, and a brand new Nathan Drake pin that matches the style of the figures. The full set is limited to only 100 bundles!

Pre-ordering any of the three versions will also get you a yet to be revealed, but exclusive Uncharted 4 Multiplayer DLC character customization item.

The limited edition Uncharted 4 Nathan Drake figures are now available for pre-order on http://esctoy.limitedrun.com/

Looking to spend some time this weekend battling it out in Uncharted 4 Multiplayer? Well, we’ve got great news: starting tomorrow, we’re activating Double XP for each match completed and 50% Relic Bonuses on all completed Challenges. If you’ve been nearing that next level progression reward or if you want to invest some Relics in a new Vanity Chest, this weekend’s the perfect time to jump in.

It’s also a great opportunity to check out Uncharted 4 Multiplayer: Bounty Hunters – our latest DLC update that introduced an all-new team-based mode, marked the return of The Village multiplayer map from Uncharted 2, Cinema Replay mode, and more. Check out our blog post to learn all about it.

Per usual, you can stay up to date on all things Naughty Dog and Uncharted 4 right here on NaughtyDog.com and by following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

In the lore of The Last of Us, September 26 represents the day the Cordyceps virus reached critical mass. A grim day for the inhabitants of that world, perhaps, but for Naughty Dog and The Last of Us community, it’s Outbreak Day—an annual fan celebration featuring deals on the game, DLC, and merch, as well as the debut of new collectibles, and more.

This year, we wanted to create something special, so we teamed up with Mondo to create a limited edition poster inspired by The Last of Us. Illustrated by Kevin Tong and developed in close collaboration with the studio, this incredible design is part of a small volume production and each will be individually hand numbered and signed by the artist.

So, how can you get one? The poster is slated to go on-sale today, Monday, September 26, at 10:00am PDT / 1:00pm EDT / 7:00pm CEST (Find Your Local Time) on MondoTees.com. Again, quantities will be limited, so when the time comes, you’ll want to act fast.

Alongside the poster, we’ve worked with PlayStation to coordinate a global Outbreak Day sale on the PlayStation Store. The sale will run for the next week and includes significant discounts on The Last of Us Remastered, the Left Behind standalone DLC, select multiplayer add-ons, and the Outbreak Day PS4 theme. Pricing and availability will vary, so fire up your PS4 or check the PlayStation Store to find the deals in your region. Lastly, the PlayStation Gear Store is offering 20% off on The Last of Us apparel and collectibles.

But we also want to hear from you. Share your The Last of Us memories, gameplay videos, screenshots, and original art with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and use the hashtag #OutbreakDay2016. You can also submit original creations to us directly via the Naughty Dog Tumblr.

Since launching our Lost Treasures multiplayer DLC update in June, we’ve been hard at work fine-tuning the multiplayer experience, launching the New Devon bonus map, and developing our next DLC release: Uncharted 4 Multiplayer: Bounty Hunters DLC, available now via a new update to Uncharted 4. With a returning fan-favorite map, new tools to capture and create your own original gameplay videos, an all-new objective game mode, new weapons, and more, Uncharted 4 Multiplayer: Bounty Hunters DLC is one of the biggest multiplayer DLC updates we’ve ever produced.

Most importantly, just like Lost Treasures and all future multiplayer DLC updates, Uncharted 4 Multiplayer: Bounty Hunters DLC is free for all players.. Here’s a closer look at what’s included:

RETURNING CLASSIC MAP: Village from Uncharted 2

That’s right; we’re bringing back Village. Not only is it one of our personal favorites, it’s also one of the most requested maps from the Uncharted 4 Multiplayer community. Village has been completely rebuilt to take advantage of the PlayStation 4, including new lighting systems, high-fidelity textures, and more. We’ve also added support for Uncharted 4’s new traversal mechanics—most notably the grappling hook.

NEW MODE: Bounty Hunter

We’ve heard your feedback asking for new modes for Uncharted 4 Multiplayer, and today, we’re proud to introduce Bounty Hunter—a new game type that encourages teamwork, strategy, and skill. Two teams compete to reach the score limit by collecting Bounties from KO’d players. When you KO a player, they drop a Bounty worth 10 points, which you or your teammates must retrieve before an enemy can swoop in and deny it. Throughout the match, teams will also alternate between having one random player assigned the role of Captain—a high-value target that the opposing team must hunt down and within a time limit. If the attacking team can successfully KO the enemy’s Captain, they’ll have a chance to collect a huge Bounty worth 60 to 120 points toward their team’s overall score. However, there’s a catch: Captain’s Bounties take time to collect, so players must work together to either protect their teammates as they retrieve the Bounty or fight to deny the attacking team before the clock runs out.

We love playing this mode at the studio and we hope you enjoy it, too. It inspires some incredibly tense moments and close plays.

NEW WEAPONS, MYSTICAL, AND BOOSTERS

We’ve also introduced a collection of new weapons and boosters, as well as a new Mystical, which can be obtained through DLC Gameplay Chests. Using Relics earned through Multiplayer matches and Challenges, DLC Gameplay Chests now have the chance of granting access to any of the four new weapons introduced with Uncharted 4 Multiplayer: Bounty Hunters DLC, as well as those added with Lost Treasures and as part of the base game. Our latest Mystical, Shield of Asgard, temporarily reduces incoming damage. While it can be helpful in objective modes, it comes at the cost of movement speed.

Weapons

• DC Single Action – Semi-Automatic Revolver
• RKL-155 – Fully Automatic mid Pistol
• Lowe-S - Assault Rifle
• Harrison 1890 - Lever Action Rifle
• US-AN 12 - Automatic Shotgun (Heavy Weapon)

Boosters

• Lock ‘n Load – Put ammo from pickups immediately in your clip
• Undisturbed – Hold a charge melee while rolling and climbing
• Silent Assassin – Take out the enemy without the other their team knowing
• Weapons Expert – Aim your weapon while vaulting, falling, jumping

Mystical

• Shield of Asgard ­– Reduces incoming damage for a brief period

NEW FEATURE: Cinema Replay

As promised in the Multiplayer Roadmap we shared before launch, Uncharted 4 Multiplayer: Bounty Hunters DLC adds Cinema Replay—a new suite of tools for capturing epic moments in-game and creating your own original videos. Building upon the tools players will recognize from previous Uncharted games, Cinema Replay creates archived versions of matches that allow you to go back and relive every moment from any player’s perspective or through a variety of different cameras. Within Cinema Replay, you can pause, slow down, swap perspectives, or line up the perfect shot to create highlight montages, original videos, or perhaps a dance compilation or two.

Between Cinema Replay and the PlayStation 4’s ShareFactory app, we can’t wait to see what kind of videos you create.

NEW PERSONALIZATION ITEMS

As with our last DLC drop, we have again introduced an awesome assortment of vanity items to Uncharted 4 Multiplayer that offer new ways to deck out your favorite hero or villain characters, including:

• Over 40 new Skins and Pre-Sets
• A wealth of new Hats, Face Wear items, and Taunts

This time around we have focused on a Wild West and Post-apocalyptic theme. We also introduced a few Pirate themed taunts that are sure to entertain.

TRIPLE PACK UPDATE

Multiplayer Pack 2 for the Triple Pack owners will also be available today. All your new items can be found, ready to use, in the customization and loadout menus.

Multiplayer Pack 2 contains:

• RKL-155 Pistol
• Lock and Load Booster
• Shield of Asgard Mystical
• Bandit Hat
• Pistol Spin taunt

So there you have it, a detailed overview of what’s included with Uncharted 4 Multiplayer: Bounty Hunters and version 1.13. We hope you enjoy it and continue to share your feedback with us. For all the latest, be sure to follow Naughty Dog on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

See you online!

Join us on Wednesday, September 21 as we reveal our next DLC update to Uncharted 4 Multiplayer. Starting at 10:30am PDT/1:30pm EDT/7:30pm CEST (Find Your Time Zone), we’ll be showcasing all of the new content launching with Uncharted 4 Multiplayer: Bounty Hunters DLC, including the debut of an all-new mode, the return of a fan-favorite map from Uncharted 2, a first look at our Cinema Replay tools, and more. We’ll be broadcasting live gameplay on Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog and taking questions from the community via chat.

In the meantime, jump into multiplayer and check out New Devon, a new map we introduced earlier this month, free for all players as part of our 1.12 update to Uncharted 4. Be sure to keep an eye on NaughtyDog.com, as well as our official Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat channels for more updates.

Like all of our DLC, New Devon is available for all players as part of a free update. Inspired by the Uncharted 4 campaign, New Devon is set in the lush ruins of an abandoned pirate colony. It’s one of our largest maps to-date and features wide open exteriors with elevated vantages for those who prefer long-range engagements. If you’re more of a run-and-gun player, don’t worry—there’s no shortage of tight corridors for close-quarters combat.

Alongside the launch of New Devon, we’re also introducing an array of changes and improvements to Uncharted 4 Multiplayer, including new ways to earn Relics and unlock Multiplayer items. Now, in addition to completing Challenges, players can acquire relics by completing and winning matches. We’ve also added Premium DLC Skins and Pre-Set outfits to DLC Vanity Chests, giving players a chance to unlock Premium vanity items at a reduced Relic cost. This Friday, September 2, we’re also kicking off a sale in the Uncharted 4 Multiplayer Store, offering discounts from 33% to 62% on all DLC Relic chests until Friday, September 16.

For our more competitive players, the 1.12 patch also includes updates to Ranked Team Deathmatch and a new set of rewards for Season 2. We’ve taken the community’s feedback to heart and with these changes, we’re aiming to make the competitive experience more rewarding for solo players. Be sure to swing by the Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End website for more details on Ranked Team Deathmatch Season 2 and full list of updates in 1.12.

As we’ve said before, there’s plenty more to come in Uncharted 4. In September, we’ll be launching our new DLC update, which will add a new map, game-type, personalization items, and more. We’ll be sharing more news about our next DLC drop soon, so keep close eye on NaughtyDog.com and Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat for more updates.

In the meantime we hope you enjoy New Devon and we’ll see you online!

We strive to make our games fun, inclusive, and fair for all players. However, when someone cheats, uses an exploit, or otherwise gains an unfair advantage it’s not fun—certainly not for other players and arguably, not even for those cheating. It cheapens the experience for everyone. We take cheating seriously and work to maintain a level playing field through moderation, patches, and live updates. While we employ many methods to combat cheating, player feedback is an essential component to our efforts, which is why today we’ve launched a new system that allows anyone to report suspected cheating in Uncharted 4 Multiplayer directly to our development teams.

Starting today, anyone can visit NaughtyDog.com/Report, log in with their PlayStation Network ID, and share details about suspected cheating, exploits, or unsporting play they encounter in Uncharted 4 Multiplayer. So, what constitutes cheating or an otherwise actionable offense? Here are some of the things we look out for*:

• Alteration of Game Code
• Use of Modified Game Software
• Use of Modified Game Hardware
• Manipulation of In-Game Systems
• Exploiting Environmental Geometry
• Manipulation of Connectivity
• Boosting and Other Forms of Unsporting Play

Anyone can use this system, but in order for us to properly investigate a report, we need a few things—including a video of the cheat, exploit, or unsporting play you’re reporting. For a list of everything required and detailed instructions, visit NaughtyDog.com/Report.

As always, keep your feedback coming and keep close eye on NaughtyDog.com and Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat for more updates.

*Please note that deceptive conduct, cheating, hacking, and other misuse of the PlayStation Network are already prohibited by the Code of Conduct contained in the PlayStation Network Terms of Service and User Agreement. Prohibition against instances of cheating, exploits, and unsporting play noted above is in addition to, and not instead of, rules set forth in the PlayStation Network Terms of Service and User Agreement.

Alongside winning matches or completing Trials, Challenges are a great way to earn Relics in Uncharted 4 multiplayer. Whether it’s racking up downs with a certain weapon, mastering a specific Mystical, or hitting another multiplayer milestone, Challenges offer big Relic rewards, which can then be used to unlock new vanity items, boosters, hero weapons, and more via Chests from the in-game store. Regardless of which Chest you choose, you’ll always get something new--Chests never drop duplicates.

In addition to the announcement of the Relic Bonus weekend, today we also introduced a live update to Uncharted 4 Multiplayer that includes a variety of tweaks to weapon balance, Sidekicks, and more. Check out UnchartedTheGame.com/Patch-Notes to see the full list of changes and for more updates about Uncharted 4, keep an eye on NaughtyDog.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

With Uncharted 4 Multiplayer, we wanted to give players more choice—whether it’s more ways to personalize your character, more variety in weapons and gear, more control over your loadouts, or new ways to celebrate victories over your enemies. Most importantly, we wanted to keep introducing new multiplayer content well after launch. We kicked things off earlier this month with Lost Treasures, our first multiplayer DLC, which added a new map, a new ranked play system, and even more weapons, taunts, boosters, and an all-new mystical. With so many new items to unlock through chests or purchase with Uncharted Points, we wanted to celebrate with a four week sale in the in-game Uncharted 4 Multiplayer Store.

Starting today, Wednesday, July 20 and lasting through Wednesday, August 17, we’re introducing discounts of anywhere from 25% to 40% on everything that can be purchased with Uncharted Points in the multiplayer store. The sale covers community favorites like the Chloe character, new skins like Dread Pirate Drake, and new gameplay items like Path of Indra and the new P90 weapon. Alongside individual items, we’re also discounting bundles, like the Scalleywag Bundle or the Git Gud Bundle.

Uncharted Points are available via the in-game multiplayer store or the PlayStation Network Store, beginning with the 500 Uncharted Points Pack all the way up to the 10,000 Uncharted Points Pack. Larger packs of Uncharted Points include bonus points from 50% to 100%--the bigger the pack, the bigger the bonus.

But again, this is only the first stop in our Uncharted 4 Multiplayer road map. We’re planning to introduce more new multiplayer content updates later this year and another on the way in 2017. Keep an eye on NaughtyDog.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat for more updates. See you online!

It’s been almost three weeks since we launched Lost Treasures, our first multiplayer DLC for Uncharted 4, which introduced a new map, new weapons, more customization items, a revamped ranked system, and more. While the team is hard at work on the next stage of our Multiplayer Roadmap, we wanted to take some time to discuss some of the improvements and changes we’ve made since launching Lost Treasures, check in on the mid-season status of Ranked Team Deathmatch, answer questions from the community, and stream live multiplayer gameplay.

Tune in tomorrow, Wednesday July 20, at 12:00pm PT/3:00pm ET (What Time Is That In My City?) as we broadcast live on Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog and be sure to jump into the comments to ask your burning questions.

For updates, be sure to stay tuned to NaughtyDog.com and follow us by following us on Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, and Snapchat.

In addition to the collection of dance taunts available at launch, on June 28, we released a new DLC update to Uncharted 4 multiplayer: Lost Treasures. As part of the update, we added even more dance taunts, alongside a wealth of other new multiplayer content, including a new map (at no cost!), ranked play system, new character items, and more.

But the Lost Treasures DLC is just the beginning. We’ll be introducing more new multiplayer content throughout the year and into 2017. For all the latest, keep an eye out for updates on NaughtyDog.com and by following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

Naughty Dog has been floored by your reception to Uncharted 4 Multiplayer since it was released on May 10. Since then, we’ve seen over 1.8 million people play nearing a total of almost 54 years of matches played. Multiplayer continues to be important to the team and we’re continuing to work on patch deployments to deliver significant improvements and gameplay tuning. Our first major post-launch update, patch 1.08, includes our first MP DLC drop, a Level system AND an entirely new Rank system with special rewards.

We just want to clearly communicate to our community the size of the patch. I think this is okay because the patch delivers a ton of content – the map and all the gameplay and vanity items.

Lost Treasures

Lost Treasures is our first post-launch content drop, and includes our first free map release, new gameplay items, and amazing-looking character skins.

Sunken Ruins Map

As promised, all DLC Maps are included with purchase in U4 MP, and our first map is Sunken Ruins. You may recognize some areas from the single-player campaign, but the Sunken Ruins map is a small, fast-paced map with tight fronts and some hidden water flank routes.

Gameplay Items

You can now purchase DLC Gameplay Chests with Relics. These unique Chests will grant you all the new gameplay DLC items, including the new P90 Long Gun or the incredibly exciting Path of Indra Mystical that allows you to teleport your teammates. You will never get duplicates of any item you have already unlocked through our DLC Gameplay Chests.

The full list of new gameplay items is:

Weapons:

	A full auto submachine gun with a very large magazine
	A full auto long range variable rifle (choose to scope in or not)
	Semi-auto very fast rate of fire pistol
	Semi-auto hard-hitting 40-caliber pistol
	A Heavy Weapon sniper gun

Boosters:

	Increases the range of radar and show directional arrows for enemies
	Swap weapons faster and reload faster while rolling
	Reduced damage wobble
	Give allies a full gear recharge

Mystical:

Teleport to any ally

Vanity Items

In addition to new gameplay items, we have also introduced a wide variety of Vanity items for all our beloved characters.

• Over 50 new Skins and Pre-Sets
• Over 70 new Hat and Face Wear items
• An assortment of new Taunts and Weapon Skins

Some of the new items (there is a new skin for each character for example) present certain characters in in some fantastic Pirate and Military themes – who doesn’t want to play as Pirate Sullivan or Military Lazarevic? Our Character team put in a ton of time and love working on all these new Skins and it shows.

Patch 1.08

Level System

One of the most significant pieces of feedback we’ve received was that Uncharted 4 Multiplayer did not release with a Level System. We’re glad to say that we are addressing this in 1.08, which introduces a system that many of you will be familiar with. Our Level System features 70 levels, with each level awarding you with items ranging from Relics to Chests. Every 5 levels you will earn a vanity item that cannot be attained through any other method. They are unique and a great way to show off your veteran status. They are quite mystical, actually…

You will level up by earning XP which comes from three sources: completing matches, earning score, and earning medals. We have also introduced a wide variety of new medals into Team Deathmatch and Ranked Team Deathmatch.

Ranked Team Deathmatch

The Multiplayer team at Naughty Dog is extremely competitive and this is a big reason we did a FULL revamp for Ranked Team Deathmatch Mode, which is also included in 1.08.

Ranked Team Deathmatch will now be occurring over the course of Seasons. Season One will last 60 days, ending on August 20, 2016. When the Season is over, we’ll take a short break before the next Season starts to allow us time to make and implement any changes and updates.

As you reach Gold, Platinum or Diamond, you will be awarded with a vanity item. These vanity items will be available for Ranked Team Deathmatch for the Season, so if you do not reach the needed Rank for a reward, you may never be able to get that reward again.

We have also made Rank a much easier system to understand in how points are awarded/taken, removed the restrictions for parties, and introduced a forfeit option. This patch will also introduce an entirely new goal for the highly competitive players among you – Master Rank.

I highly suggest you visit our Ranked Team Deathmatch details page on Unchartedthegame.com for some more insight into how this mode works – we think it’s awesome and everyone should be playing it!

Triple Pack Update

For those of you who purchased the Triple Pack, Multiplayer Pack 1 of the Triple Pack is available today. Your items can be found unlocked in the customization and loadout menus.

The Triple Pack contains:

• P90 Long Gun
• Gifting Booster
• Pirate Drake Skin
• Pirate Commodore Hat
• The Rubber Leg Taunt

We will continue to hand pick content to be included in the Triple Pack for those that have already purchased it or those who continue to purchase the Digital Deluxe version. The Triple Pack was a great launch offering, but we’ll soon be offering the Explorer’s Pack which includes the much anticipated single-player DLC and 3,200 Uncharted Points. This will provide players with even greater choice on which items they prefer to own. You’ll start seeing this roll out in the coming weeks.

Improvements

In addition to all the above updates, we have made a number of more minor improvements that work together to make Uncharted 4 Multiplayer even better. Check out the full details for 1.08 on our Patch Notes pages.

• The ability for a player to accumulate an offline Relic bonus; log back in and play games to pull Relics from your offline bonus
• Leaderboards have been fixed
• The Brute Sidekick can no longer detect players behind them unless they are damaged
• Spirit of the Djinn – Increase Duration mod will now grant you an additional 5 seconds for each KO you get while your Djinn is active
• The Farmer Booster has been totally revamped so you can deal with Sidekicks more effectively
• Damage wobble and blind-fire have had significant balance updates

Most of these improvements will have a deep impact in how Uncharted 4 Multiplayer plays and we are looking forward to hearing your feedback. We will continue to make updates to deliver the best Uncharted Multiplayer experience.

Don’t forgot to join us on our next Twitch broadcast later this week as we do a rundown of Ranked Team Deathmatch and answer your questions to any and all of the new content that was released as part of patch 1.08. We’ll be broadcasting on our Twitch channel https://www.twitch.tv/naughtydog at 11:30 AM PT / 20:30 CET on Thursday, June 30.

See you online!

Our first Multiplayer DLC release and next major update to Uncharted 4 Multiplayer will be released on Wednesday, June 29 – next week. This update will mark the first content release in the Multiplayer Roadmap we revealed before launch. If you’re an owner of the Triple Pack, this release will also include the items for MP Pack #1.

We’re all excited about this release because not only does it include a lot of great content – like our first free map (!!!) – but it includes updates to Multiplayer that many of you have been asking for. We’re just scratching the surface by saying it includes new guns, new boosters, new taunts, new skins, custom matches, custom loadout names, a revamp to Ranked Team Deathmatch, and more! There’s one in particular we won’t reveal here, but you can probably guess what it is if you’ve been tracking what is likely the most requested new feature by our community.

We will preview the new map and updates with our Multiplayer Team on Twitch, Tuesday, June 28.

Uncharted 4 Multiplayer Patch 1.08 and Multiplayer DLC Preview
Tuesday, June 28
11:30 AM PT / 20:30 CET (what time is that in my city?)

The Multiplayer Team will also be back on our Twitch channel on Thursday, June 30 to do a deep dive on Ranked Team Deathmatch, and will answer your questions and discuss feedback after everyone has had a chance to play new content and updates.

Uncharted 4 Ranked and post-patch discussion
Thursday, June 30
11:30 AM PT / 20:30 CET (what time is that in my city?)

Join us on our channel at Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog on Tuesday and Thursday!

Our first Multiplayer DLC release and next major update to Uncharted 4 Multiplayer will be released on Wednesday, June 29 – next week. This update will mark the first content release in the Multiplayer Roadmap we revealed before launch. If you’re an owner of the Triple Pack, this release will also include the items for MP Pack #1.

We’re all excited about this release because not only does it include a lot of great content – like our first free map (!!!) – but it includes updates to Multiplayer that many of you have been asking for. We’re just scratching the surface by saying it includes new guns, new boosters, new taunts, new skins, custom matches, custom loadout names, a revamp to Ranked Team Deathmatch, and more! There’s one in particular we won’t reveal here, but you can probably guess what it is if you’ve been tracking what is likely the most requested new feature by our community.

We will preview the new map and updates with our Multiplayer Team on Twitch, Tuesday, June 28.

Uncharted 4 Multiplayer Patch 1.08 and Multiplayer DLC Preview
Tuesday, June 28
11:30 AM PT / 20:30 CET (what time is that in my city?)

The Multiplayer Team will also be back on our Twitch channel on Thursday, June 30 to do a deep dive on Ranked Team Deathmatch, and will answer your questions and discuss feedback after everyone has had a chance to play new content and updates.

Uncharted 4 Ranked and post-patch discussion
Thursday, June 30
11:30 AM PT / 20:30 CET (what time is that in my city?)

Join us on our channel at Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog on Tuesday and Thursday!

Starting Friday May 27, for 4 days everyone will see Relic bonuses and a hefty discount on Vanity item bundles.

WHAT

• 50% Relic bonus on all challenges
• 70% discount on all Vanity item bundles

WHEN

Starts: Friday, May 27 at 12:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM CET (what time is that in my city?)
Ends: Tuesday, May 31 at 12:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM CET (what time is that in my city?)

Enjoy the long weekend (if you have one) and see you online!

Now that patch 1.03 and live update .013 are out, we wanted to take a moment to update everyone with our full patch notes below. We are actively working on getting more fixes for some of the problems you all have encountered in the wild. If you run into something, please report it here: http://feedback.naughtydog.com/forums/363840-uncharted-4

Have fun out there!

Uncharted 4 – PS4 Patch 1.03 Notes

1.03.012

General:

• Various Localization updates

Single Player:

• Fixed various crashes
• Fixed particle sync issue

Multiplayer:

• General
  • Gameplay crash fixes
  • Fix for Entitlement Limits being reached causing users to not see Uncharted Points they had purchased
  • Enabled a pop-up to appear while in the menus to inform users of new updates
  • Fix for Challenge completed pop-up appearing after already completing the challenge
  • Fix for Loadout Point unlocks not triggering properly
  • Fix for store item descriptions
  • Leaderboard text fixes
  • Fix for post-game medal description
  • Added Leaderboards menu item to matchmaking page so players can check out their leaderboard stats while in matchmaking
  • Fixed booster level issue for late-joiners
  • Sniper Sidekick - Path of Indra mod now plays sound properly when Sniper teleports
  • Timer display error fix for Matchmaking lobby
  • Fix for private match settings not being visible after viewing previous game results
  • Fixed crash that can occur during the end game scoreboard
• Ranked TDM
  • Fix for team favor display for when teams are evenly matched in Ranked TDM
  • Fix for rank point bug where players were incorrectly getting penalized for both win/loss
  • Rank progress is now displayed when browsing the Ranked TDM playlist, before entering
  • Lowered the max rank that can be achieved after initial placement matches from Gold I to Gold III
• Command
  • Fix for a crash that occurs during a game of Command
  • Fix for store prices sometimes being improper while being a Captain
  • Fix for contested status icon not updating properly
  • Fix for late-join player seeing improper status icon
• Plunder
  • Fix for the idol respawn timer not appearing properly
  • Fix for weapon gameplay issues while hodling the idol
  • Treasure chest, player starting spawns, & idol spawn locations tweaked
  • Fix for idol pickup causing loss of functionality
  • Fix for scoring animation playing improperly
  • Fix for throwing animation playing improperly
• Weapons
  • Fix for sniper rifle scope-in times
  • Fix for weapon progression being inappropriately earned
  • Fix for starting ammo mod on some weapons
• Mysticals
  • Spirit of the Djinn
    • Fix for timer not working properly
    • Fix for FX not deactivating properly
    • Fix for improperly turning off during to network errors
    • Fix for icon not clearing properly when a player dies while it is active
    • Fix for not being able to purchase while wating to respawn
  • Staff of Ayar Manco received a decrease in the ammount of points it contributes towards your Support Score

1.03.013 (MP ONLY)

• Decrease number of Warm-Up matches to unlock other playlists to 1 game
• Decreased the maximum Warm-Up matches from 10 to 5
• Tripled the Rank Points lost for a quit or disconnect in Ranked TDM

Uncharted 4 Multiplayer
Friday, May 13

w/ Easy Allies
11:30 AM PT / 20:30 CET (what time is that in my city?)

w/ SanchoWest
6:00 PM PT / 03:00 CET (what time is that in my city?)

Head over to our channel at Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog on Friday or just watch it below.

Today we wanted to share all the details about how our new Ranked Team Deathmatch mode works.

Goals – Competition and Balance

We want Ranked TDM to be the most competitive and balanced way to play Uncharted 4 Multiplayer. We’ve done a lot of work on the ranking system to ensure it accurately reflects players’ skill. Ranked TDM is also the only mode where one-use-boosters are not used, which ensures all players enter the match with the same benefits.

We’ll also be listening to feedback from the community and making adjustments as the game progresses. We’re interested in hearing from you!

Starting out – Placement Matches

When you first enter Ranked TDM you’ll have to play 5 placement matches to determine your initial rank:

Once you’ve completed your placement matches you’ll be placed in a Rank based on your performance. There are a total of 5 Ranks (Bronze / Silver / Gold / Platinum / Diamond) with 3 tiers in each Rank.

Earning Rank Points

Once you’ve been placed in a rank you can now start earning Rank Points. If you win a match, you’ll earn points. If you lose a match, you’ll lose points. The amount you earn will be based off your overall performance rating compared to the average rating in your Rank (players who have a higher rating than their current Rank will earn more points) and whether your team or the enemy team is favored to win (teams that are not favored to win will earn more points. At the start of the match you can see which team is favored to win.

Ranking Up

Once you’ve earned 100 Rank Points you’ll move into a series of qualifier matches that will decide whether you’ll make the leap to the next rank:

The number of qualifying matches required depends on the rank. Moving up within a Rank (e.g. from Gold II to Gold I) requires winning two out of three matches. Moving up to a new Rank (e.g. from Gold I to Platinum III) requires winning three out of five matches. If you pass the qualifiers you’ll rank up:

If you don’t win enough matches to qualify for the next rank you’ll lose some Rank Points, but not all of them. You’ll be in a good position to earn your way back into the qualifiers again soon.

Ranking Down

If you have the misfortune of getting down to 0 Rank Points don’t freak out just yet. You can be at 0 and lose a few matches without losing rank right away. It’s an opportunity to turn things around and start your comeback.

Upcoming Changes

One feature we expect to be adding to Ranked is the concept of seasons, where every x months (on a time interval to be determined) the rankings are reset and players can start a new progression. This gives players a chance to kickstart their progression by working to start out at a higher initial ranking, and also clears out rankings from players who may no longer be playing.

There are some other changes we’re considering and as noted we’ll also be listening to feedback from the community and making adjustments to ensure that Ranked TDM is our most competitive and balanced mode.

The game is available right now in the App Store and on Google Play.

As you’ll quickly notice, this is not a port. In fact, this Nathan Drake (and Sully, too!) is everything you remember and nothing like what you’ve seen before. For nearly a decade, the UNCHARTED franchise has defined the standard by which creators bring their imagination to life on PlayStation and (as you will soon experience) our incredible colleagues at Naughty Dog have continued to push that standard higher. So instead of banging our heads against old mobile phones, our teams came together to take on a far more daunting challenge: to offer you an unexpected take on Nathan Drake that you could fall in love with all over again! The aesthetic may be new, but underneath Nate’s low-poly skin is a playful, yet witty, homage to how we first met him many years ago.

This is an original puzzle game... pure and simple.

Well, not “simple” – it offers over 200 levels of smart, strategic survival across four deadly environments and six unique adventures. You can play for a few minutes at a time, for months to come. Each adventure also adds an element to the challenge -- from rotating dart traps to pushable blocks to paths that turn to rubble under your feet.

It’s full of multiplayer rewards for UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End.

You can earn six vanity items, and also partner with Sully to harvest one-time boosters and extra multiplayer relics while you’re away from the PlayStation. Find all of the treasures in UNCHARTED: Fortune Hunter and you’ll get this Naughty Dog Top Hat to prove it.

It’s free!

While optional in-app purchases can be used to supplement your mastery or vanity, the rewards in UNCHARTED: Fortune Hunter is free to download, and the rewards can be earned for free by playing. That said, Nate might look good in a move-enhancing Mo-Cap suit, don’t you think?!

The game needs you!

Ultimately, it comes down to you - our fans - to determine where UNCHARTED: Fortune Hunter goes next, so please download and rate the game today. On behalf of all the teams and talents involved in this unexpected surprise, we hope that you’ll enjoy it and thanks for playing!

Join Robert Cogburn, Erin Daly, and just about everyone from the Multiplayer team as we give you a comprehensive overview of the modes, skins, weapons, loadouts, economy, and more to be found in Uncharted 4 Multiplayer at launch next week, May 10!

All about Uncharted 4 Multiplayer
Wednesday, May 4
Starting at 11:00 AM PT / 20:00 CET

I'll be on the Twitch broadcast with three Game Designers -- James Cooper, Nicholas Lance, and Zied Rieke -- as we play through the Madagascar preview sequence live. With luck we'll be able to show you several different approaches to the combat setup at the end of the sequence.

Head over to Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog on Thursday, April 14 at 11:30 AM PT / 20:30 CET (what time is that in my city?) or you can watch below when we are live.

We’re calling this first episode The Evolution of a Franchise. It’s a great way to kick off this “Making of” series as we take a brief look how Naughty Dog and the Uncharted series has evolved since Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune made its debut on the PS3 in 2007, including the influence of The Last of Us on the team and our development process.

Enough talk, here’s the first episode of The Making of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

The five-episode series is scheduled to be released throughout March and April, so check back to get a behind-the-scenes look at the Making of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. You’ll want to stick around for the full series – I would go so far as to say it was emotional for a few people here to watch by the time the series wrapped up.

Here’s a quick rundown at the upcoming episodes:

• The Making of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: The Evolution of a Franchise
• The Making of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: Growing up with Drake
• The Making of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: Pushing Technical Boundaries Part 1
• The Making of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: Pushing Technical Boundaries Part 2
• The Making of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: In the End

The team is still hard at work finishing up Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and we’ll be revealing more leading up to the worldwide release on May 10, 2016. Pre-order your copy now if you haven’t already.

We want to sincerely apologize to everyone at Ubisoft, the Assassin’s Creed team, the original artist, and our fans.

Naughty Dog

We are also doing something really fun – which is we're going to have Daniel and Francesco do their speedruns head-to-head. So, not only are we going to see two very accomplished speedrunners making a go of it live on our Twitch channel, but we're settle who really is fastest when the pressure’s on. They let me know they were within 90 seconds of each other during practice runs this weekend!

Let's get to know Daniel and Francesco a little better:

I think this will be a speedrun event that is not to be missed! We hope you join us on Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog today, Tuesday, January 12 at 11:30 AM PT / 20:30 CET (what time is that in my city?) or you can watch below when we are live.

Our first Twitch broadcast for 2016 is next week, Tuesday, January 12, starting at 11:30 am PT / 20:30 UTC -- what time is that in my city?

For our first broadcast, we're tackling a speedrun of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, using the PS4 version from Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. We've got some very good, highly competitive speedrunners amongst us at Naughty Dog, and they're going to do their best to rise to the challenge and set a solid speedrun time live during our broadcast. I wouldn't miss out on this.

Join us on Twitch.tv/NaughtyDog next week -- we hope to see you then!

Let’s start with the good news: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is wrapping up production and is shaping up to be the proper send off for Nathan Drake that we’ve promised you. The bad news is that we need a bit more time to finish the game so that it meets our standards and vision. Let’s cut to the chase, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has a new release date in North America of April 26, 2016.

This is our largest Uncharted game to date, and the team has been working incredibly hard to meet the challenge of closing out the game’s development in a timely manner. However, as we approached our final deadlines and started wrapping up the game’s levels, we realized that several key sequences needed extra resources to bring them to the finish line. After carefully considering all of our options, we decided to extend our schedule, making sure that we get a few more polish passes before submitting our gold master (the final disc for manufacturing).

Pushing the date is not an easy choice, and we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t feel in our hearts it’s the best course of action for the game. To you, our loyal fans, we hope you’ll accept our sincere apology. We know many of you have been waiting patiently for Nathan Drake’s final chapter, and now we humbly ask you to wait a bit longer.

On April 26, 2016 the most ambitious installment in the Uncharted series will be in your hands.

Neil Druckmann & Bruce Straley

We’re calling it Uncharted 101.

During the Uncharted 4 multiplayer beta, challenges will be released on social media, asking you to explore many of the interesting gameplay features in the Beta, such as using the grappling hook to deploying a Mystical in a match. We’re asking our community to share what they’ve learned using #Uncharted101ContentEntry on Facebook and Twitter, rewarding the authors of the best posts with re-posts, re-tweets, or a chance to win a copy of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End once it’s released.

The contest starts TODAY at 12:00 PM PST!

We’ve got some great prizes lined up. 50 entrants will have a chance to win a digital copy of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and one entrant will have the chance to win the Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Libertalia Collector’s Edition.

It’s easy to participate:

• The contest starts on December 9, 2015 at 12pm PST and ends December 13, 2015 12pm PST
• You have to be following @Naughty_Dog (https://twitter.com/naughty_dog) on Twitter or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/naughtydog) or @PlayStation (https://twitter.com/PlayStation) on Twitter or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PlayStation)
• Share your entry photo or video with @Naughty_Dog or @PlayStation using the hashtag #Uncharted101ContestEntry on Twitter, or post to your public Facebook feed with the hashtag #Uncharted101ContestEntry
• Your tweet or post must include the #Uncharted101ContestEntry hashtag and a image or video completing the challenge issued by Naughty Dog
• You must use the “Share” button on your PS4 system and then share it on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #Uncharted101ContestEntry
• You must be a legal resident in one of the 50 United States excluding Arizona

Be sure to read the Official Rules right away and then start sharing your content:
http://www.naughtydog.com/legal/uncharted101_contest_rules

There’s much, much more to learn about Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End in the next few months leading up to our worldwide release on March 18, 2016. If you are attending The PlayStation Experience in San Francisco this weekend, check out our Uncharted 4 panel on Saturday, December 6 at 3:00 PM, and hit the exhibit floor to play Uncharted 4 Multiplayer.

We hope to see you there!

We explore the Mysticals, Sidekicks, Boosters, weapons, skins, Challenges, and much more.

Watch live video from NaughtyDog on www.twitch.tv

Over the course of development for Uncharted 4 Multiplayer there have been a number of ideas that sounded great on paper, which were tried and failed. This happened time and time again but through each iteration there was one nugget of "that is cool" that we would cling to and bring with us into the next iteration. We were constantly applying our lessons learned on our previous experiences with Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3 and The Last of Us which helped shape an incredibly exciting, fast and deeply rich multiplayer game.

Expect the teamwork, over-the-top action-adventure, and detail-rich gameplay environments you've come to expect from the Uncharted series Multiplayer mode. We have greatly enriched multiplayer with elements you may have caught in the trailer. One thing we have done in particular is introduce a number of systems completely unique to Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Multiplayer.

• Sidekicks: When you are in a pinch you can call in your friendly Sidekick to help you. These are unique, AI controlled characters that come equipped with unique abilities that can help turn the tide of a battle.
• Mysticals: These are super natural abilities from the Uncharted series that give a player unique powers. See if you can recognize what Mystical abilities we are showing off in the trailer.
• Grappling Hook: Last, you will be able to leverage the grappling hook in a number of locations in our multiplayer maps. We have also heavily leveraged this exciting mechanic for our melee. Yes, you will be able to land on people and take them out - would you expect less?

If you are at Paris Games Week, please join us at the PlayStation booth on the show floor to get your hands on our first playable demo of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Multiplayer. This demo will also be at PAX Australia from October 30 - November 1, and at Lisboa Games Week from November 5 to November 8.

If you can't join us at one of these shows, you can gain exclusive access to the Uncharted 4 Multiplayer Beta by buying Uncharted: The Nathan Drake collection. The Beta will run from December 4 to December 13, 2015.

We look forward to seeing you online in the final, full version of Multiplayer when Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is released worldwide on March 18, 2016.

First up, we have something special for all you collectors out there. Pre-orders for the UNCHARTED Mini-Busts created by PlayStation Sr. Manager of Fabrication Arts Gary Barth, are now available on the PlayStation Gear Store in the Naughty Dog Shop. Check Naughty Dog blog and social channels for more updates about these highly collectible items.

Also, available for pre-order in the Naughty Dog Shop as of last week, is this ultra-fine, limited edition “The Dreamers of the Day” giclee by renowned artist Tomer Hanuka.

For all the music lovers out there, we're also thrilled to announce that we've partnered with iam8bit to produce a collectible vinyl record set for The Nathan Drake Collection. This Triple LP set will feature music from all three games, and include a heaping amount of new art by the incredible duo We Buy Your Kids. Stay tuned and follow @iam8bit on Twitter for more reveals coming soon!

Additionally, you can now wear your UNCHARTED fandom with a unique set of four UNCHARTED themed temporary tattoos. This set will soon be available from purveyors of the finest, removable body art out there, Tattly.com.

Lastly, we wrapped up our UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection fan art design contest with We Love Fine a couple weeks back. All winning designs are now available for purchase.

There will be more new, cool merch and UNCHARTED specific goods coming over the next few weeks. Keep an eye on the Naughty Dog social channels and the Naughty Dog Shop in the PlayStation Gear Store for the latest. If you haven’t picked it up yet, UNCHARTED The Nathan Drake Collection is available in stores and digitally on the PlayStation Store. Happy fortune hunting!

You can get your very own Clicker as an exclusive edition with a gas mask or a regular edition. Both are terrifyingly beautiful. Get the full details over on the Gaming Heads site. In addition to the statue we’re proud to announce there will be a global PSN Sale on select The Last of Us content.

If you haven’t played one of the most critically acclaimed video games of all-time now is your chance. The Outbreak Day sale will run from September 23 until October 7 in various regions. You’ll be saving 40-50% on select content for The Last of Us and The Last of Us Remastered including a price reduction on the game itself. PS Plus members will be able to save even more in some instances. Please login and check the local PS Store in your region to see exactly what’s being offered up.

In addition, we’ve created a new dynamic theme specifically themed around Outbreak Day. Featuring the fungal growth from our amazing title sequence and the hauntingly beautiful melodies of Gustavo Santaolalla you can buy the theme for only $0.99 for a limited time. Be sure to get it while the sale lasts.

Speaking of sales, the PlayStation Gear store is having an Outbreak Day sale. Head over to the Naughty Dog shop to find great deals on select The Last of Us items.

Happy Outbreak Day 2015. Be on the lookout for more The Last of Us news in the future.

Ready for another look? Keeping with the action-packed theme from the Twitch stream, this trailer showcases many of the awesome #UnchartedMoments; all of which can be experienced in Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection.

If you missed the end (and you should have watched the whole trailer!), mark your calendars for December 4 – December 13. Those are the dates the exclusive Uncharted 4 Multiplayer Beta will be available to everyone with a copy of the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. So be sure you pick up a copy to be able to see what’s in store for Uncharted’s newest multiplayer mode, you can now pre-order either the standalone collection or the newly announced PS4 hardware bundle (http://www.unchartedthegame.com/purchase).

We know you are all looking forward to hearing more about what’s new in multiplayer, what’s new with gameplay, and what new modes and maps you can expect. We’re planning a grand reveal that will answer many of your questions about Uncharted 4 multiplayer before the Beta goes live this December.

We have just a few weeks to go until our October 9 launch date. Don’t forget, we’ve got two more #UnchartedMoments Twitch streams left to go on September 29 and October 6. Be sure to vote for your favorite Uncharted moment if you want to see it on the stream! Then you can get your hands on Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection early when the much anticipated single-player demo drops on the PlayStation Store on September 29.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone post their own #UnchartedMoments directly via the Share button from the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection when it releases on October 9, 2015.

The first moment that came to mind is this scene from UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune. Drake is being held in an abandoned prison by the ruthless pirate, Eddy Raja, and his escape results in a white-knuckle truck chase. This scene really gets at the humor present in the series and the depths Elena and Drake will go through together. It was a memorable scene to create as it began our obsession with having a thrilling vehicle chase in subsequent UNCHARTED games. The play-through below comes straight from the new UNCHARTED collection, faithfully and beautifully remastered for PlayStation 4.

Pretty thrilling stuff, right? We’re showing off more of this sequence and talking about what went into making one of our favorite moments in the franchise on our Naughty Dog Twitch channel right now. Tune in! In fact, we’ll be sharing development team insights about select UNCHARTED moments and other cool, new features in Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection starting now through launch.

Uncharted Moments #1: UNCHARTED Drake’s Fortune – Chapters 6-8

Monday, September 14, 2015 (11:30-12:30pm PST)

• Host: Eric Monacelli
• Guests: Josh Scherr, Eric Baldwin

Uncharted Moments #2: Fan Voted!

Tuesday, September 29, 2015 (11:30-12:30pm PST)

• Host: Joe Pettinati
• Guests: TBD

What is your favorite UNCHARTED Moment? We want to hear from you. Take the poll below or sound off in the chat over on the Naughty Dog Twitch channel. We’ll stream the winning moment on our September 29 steam. Choose wisely, you can only pick one. Voting will end next Monday, September 21 so vote today!

Uncharted Moments #3: UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection New Game Modes & Features

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 (11:30-12:30pm PST)

• Host: Joe Pettinati
• Guests: Sam Thompson, Dan Carrigan

Can’t wait to play part of the new UNCHARTED collection? We’re happy to announce that you’ll be able to play through one of our other favorite moments, the Warzone chapter of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves, in the consumer demo that will go live on the PlayStation Store on September 29.

Speaking of fan voting, we recently wrapped our We Love Fine UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection Design Contest. Here are the winning t-shirt designs as voted by the fans and our esteemed panel of judges.

T-Shirts featuring the winning designs will be available for purchase on We Love Fine. UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection launches October 9 so be sure to watch #UnchartedMoments on the Naughty Dog Twitch channel and download the PSN demo on September 29.

The exchange seen here between Sully and Drake is a defining moment in the Uncharted story. Sir Francis Drake’s motto “Greatness from small beginnings” has a special place in Nathan Drake’s backstory and frames his epic journeys. He achieved greatness from humble beginnings with a lot of help along the way. Sully became a father-figure and mentor of sorts for Nate and that relationship served as a rock in the often wild, always adventurous saga that you’ll play in Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection.

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is the culmination of years of hard work at our studio that has been lovingly rebuilt by the team at Bluepoint Games. It’s incredible to watch Drake run, leap, and shoot on the PS4 with enhanced graphics and gameplay. Capturing those white-knuckle, trademark Uncharted moments has never been more fun than via the new Photo Mode tools built into the collection. Various improvements in lighting, rendering, texture mapping, and dynamic audio mean all three games are looking and sounding better than ever.

New trophies and modes such as our Explorer, Speed Run, and Brutal Modes will invite long time adventurers to replay these classics while welcoming newcomers to discover Uncharted greatness.

• Explorer Mode is an all-new mode for beginners where combat difficulty is reduced greatly.
• Speed Run Mode adds a timer that allows players to track their gameplay time against their friends as they play sections of the game.
• Brutal Difficulty Mode is the ultimate challenge as the gameplay will be more punishing than Crushing Difficulty (unlocked after beating Crushing Difficulty in the same game)

You can even play all three single-player games in the collection as Doughnut Drake (or any one of over sixty-five other characters skins) if you’re so inclined. A lot of new polish, hard work, and love were put into making this the ultimate Uncharted collection.

If you want to see what Nathan Drake and his crew is up to next, you’ll only be able to get access to the Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End multiplayer beta by purchasing Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. The game arrives October 9, 2015. Uncover the legend and pre-order today.

Get ready for a wild ride as Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will be careening into your living room in 2016.

It’s very rewarding to finally show off all of our hard work on this new section of Drake’s escapades, set in a meticulously crafted, fictional, Madagascan city, and re-introducing his old friend and mentor, Victor Sullivan. Yes, in addition to his new, wild, rope swinging acrobatics, Nathan Drake will be able to drive various vehicles for the first time ever in franchise history. This is the most action-packed demo we’ve ever assembled for E3. If you’re at the show please stop by the Uncharted 4 theater in the PlayStation booth in West Hall to check out even more of what Drake and Sully are up to.

Can’t wait for Uncharted 4? Catch up on Nathan Drake’s adventures and get ready for his next one with Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, which releases October 9, 2015. Every copy of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection comes with access to Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End multiplayer beta. Also, if you live in the US and have an artistic itch, be sure to check out the We Love Fine UNCHARTED design contest happening now. Submit a winning design and you’ll be among the first to secure a copy of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End when it releases in 2016.

Since the launch of the PS4, we’ve seen plenty of requests across our Twitter, Facebook, and message boards all over the internet to provide remastered releases for the first three games in the Uncharted series, which sold an amazing 21+ million copies and garnered an average 92 Metacritic rating. We couldn’t agree more. What better way to prepare for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End than to revisit – or play for the first time – the first three games that launched the fortune hunting icon that is Nathan Drake?

Early last month, Eric and I took a trip to Austin on the down low to visit the incredible team at Bluepoint Games to check out Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection in person and get ready for this announcement. What we’ve seen of the collection so far looks fantastic!

The team at Bluepoint Games is incomparable regarding their portfolio of achievements and remastered releases, and we’ve been working closely with them to bring over our engine to make Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection an exemplary game. That means not only delivering the single-player campaigns of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception in 1080p and 60fps with better lighting, textures, and models, but also adding a range of improvements and additions across all three games including Photo Mode and new trophies. We put together the list of these improvements and additions based on countless forum posts, messages, Tweets, and even through personal conversations we’ve had with a number of you over the years. More on these specifics in future updates.

By pre-ordering Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection today, you can receive the Nathan Drake Pack which includes single player skins of iconic Drake outfits as well as everyone’s favorite weapons: the Golden AK-47 and Golden 92FS guns. If you pre-order the digital download via the PlayStation Store, you will also get an Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection PS4 dynamic theme as an immediate download.

Oh, and one other important note, buying the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection grants you exclusive access to Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End multiplayer Beta version (while the Beta is available, of course.)

With the release a scant four months away, we’re looking forward to getting you ready for Drake’s next adventure with the remastered versions of these first three Uncharted titles. With luck we’ll be able to put together some opportunities for our fans to see and play parts of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection prior to its release. We’ll keep you posted here in the upcoming months.

2. The writing.

3. ShareSnap.

4. The Halloween Store.

5. The relationship.

6. Water guns.

7. Dancing.

8. Winston…who is that guy?

9. American Dreams tie-in.

10. Raja’s Arcade – Black Fang vs Angel Knives.

BONUS: The price. You can’t even go see a movie for $9.99. This will experience will stick with you much longer.

That’s our list. What’s yours?

And if you haven’t played yet, download The Last of Us: Left Behind now

The Last of Us: Left Behind is available now for $9.99 on the PS3 or PS4. It includes a free trial of The Last of Us Factions, the multiplayer mode from the full game. Learn more about everything included here.

If you haven’t played this seminal DLC yet buy it now. If you have, tell a friend who hasn’t or replay it on your preferred livestreaming channel. There’s a lot left to share with your friends, family, loved ones, and strangers from this groundbreaking release.

We’ll be celebrating the release of the stand-alone over the next couple weeks by rolling out some memorable moments and mementos related to Left Behind. The first of those kicks off our artist series over on the Naughty Dog Shop section of the PlayStation Gear store. Check out our two Left Behind protagonists, Ellie and Riley, illustrated by the talented Cuyler Smith:

Just beautiful, right? This artwork will be a limited edition, signed, numbered lithograph of 300. It is now available for pre-order on the PlayStation Gear store.

Follow the Naughty Dog Social channels, including our newly minted Instagram and Vine channels, and the blog for more Left Behind in the coming weeks. Download and play it today. After all, everyone deserves to know who truly wins when a water gun fight breaks out in an abandoned shopping mall.

If you haven’t had a chance yet to check out The Last of Us, this is a nicely priced gateway to checking out the world and characters so many people (and critics loved). While part of the story of Left Behind takes place during the main narrative arc of The Last of Us, I think some of the best and most touching moments of any game in recent memory occur during the prequel segments, as we follow Ellie and Riley as they sneak out of boarding school to visit an abandoned mall, getting one final chance to enjoy their friendship before Riley leaves to join the Fireflies.

You can get more immersed into the story of Ellie and Riley in The Last of Us: American Dreams comic book, published by Dark Horse, co-written by Faith Erin Hicks and The Last of Us Creative Director Neil Druckmann, with interior art by Faith Erin Hicks. I highly, highly recommend it.

We realize that most of Naughty Dog fans and readers of the PlayStation.Blog will have probably already played The Last of Us and maybe even the Left Behind Add-on chapter — if you enjoyed the games, be sure to tell your friends that haven’t played of this great introduction to The Last of Us. We’ve also included a two hour trial of the Factions Multiplayer mode. The Left Behind standalone game will have built-in upgrade paths through the in-game store to both the full Factions experience and/or the full game for The Last of Us.

Below are the details on the upgrade possibilities on both PS3 and PS4 after you already own the Left Behind standalone game.

PS4

PS3

We hope to see all you new fans of The Last of Us on May 12!

It was an incredible weekend and thank you to everyone who watched our Twitch stream. Most importantly, a huge thank you to everyone who donated to our 8-bit Salute with Operation Supply Drop. We raised nearly $12,500. That’s a testament to how awesome our community is. Two donors contributed over $1,000 apiece. Tremendously cool of Dominic Jay DeStefano and John Knowles to do this. Dominic was our top donor and John donated the second most. Jesus Patino also pitched in 1K. Prizing was only available to our top three U.S. residents and Heather Currie-Martinez came in third. A hearty thank you to our top donors and everyone who contributed! The prizing is over but you can still donate to this worthy cause. Top donors will contacted today, May 18, via email.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

We're going to host a livestream for Operation Supply Drop's 8-Bit Salute again this year. It's not our anniversary or anything like that. Why are we doing it again? Well...

From: Jeff Bullock
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2015 2:29 PM
To: ndi-dog
Subject: Uncharted and how it helped me in Iraq

To the wonderful people who made the Uncharted games,

My name is Jeff Bullock. I am a veteran of the war in Iraq and I just wanted to take a few minutes to let you know what your games have meant to me over the years. The newest Uncharted game is on its way, so I started replaying 1-3 today. This inspired me to write this email.

I was in Iraq from December of 2010 to October of 2011 at FOB Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq. I brought my PS3 over there with me and set up a projector so I could play my games in my CHU (compartmentalized housing unit), basically a glorified trailer, on a big screen.

While not conducting missions outside the base, I spent most of my time in my CHU trying to relax and forget for a moment that I was in Iraq. We constantly had indirect fire, specifically rockets, lobbed our way. It was a multiple times a day sort of thing. To this day, I still have problems when I hear sounds similar to the incoming alarm or to the sound the rockets themselves made. It was usually the first thing we talked about in the mornings. "Hey, did you hear those rockets last night? Sounded like it landed pretty close." That sort of thing.

So, there are two things I would like to let you know your games did for me. The first is the most obvious. They allowed me an escape into another world, even if that world also had explosions, they were not real and also controllable. Nothing at all like getting caught out in the open when the incoming alarm went off and just laying down to take cover and hoping that today wasn't your day to die. It was an escape, one I desperately needed every day.

The second benefit to your games is a little less straight forward. There were many of those morning conversations about rockets the previous night that I was happy to have nothing to contribute. I would play Uncharted on my big projector screen and turn the volume up. As it happens, many times this blocked out the sound of real rockets. So instead of hearing the alarm or the explosions, I would continue playing, blissfully unaware of the potential dangers around me. I should mention that even if I had heard the alarm or explosions, there really isn't anything that I could do but sit and wait and hope. Much better to be happy and distracted.

Your games helped to eliminate some measure of the stress of everyday life in a war zone. I just felt this was something I should share, and I hope that it brings all of you some measure of happiness to know what your games meant to me, and I'm sure to many others in similar situations.

Thank you, and I wish you and your families the best life can offer. Keep doing what you're doing, you never know how much it can mean to someone.

With great sincerity,

Jeff Bullock

A Grateful Veteran

Team Naughty Dog starts live streaming our support of Operation Supply Drop's 8-Bit Salute on Saturday May 16. Tune in from noon PST until 9pm PST to our official Twitch channel to watch and game with us.

To make this event even more fun, we've teamed up with the LA Chapter of Operation Supply Drop and we'll have some very special guests coming to the studio. Our good friends Brandon Laatsch and SanchoWest will be hanging out and hosting the live stream for us.

Here's the schedule:

Other Naughty Dogs will be available at various times during our 8-bit salute: