The decision to kill off Joel in the early hours of The Last of Us Part 2 sparked intense debate within Naughty Dog, with a former developer revealing that the studio was deeply split over the narrative choice.
Internal Conflict at Naughty Dog
Heather Cerlan, a former Naughty Dog artist who contributed to both The Last of Us and Uncharted franchises, recently discussed the game’s development in an interview with Kiwi Talkz. When asked if the team anticipated the public backlash, Cerlan confirmed that the internal atmosphere was far from unified.
“Oh yeah, most of the studio was like, ‘really you’re going to…'” Cerlan noted, acknowledging the controversial decision to eliminate a central protagonist early in the sequel’s story. She admitted that the studio was “pretty split” regarding the outcome, confirming that the plot point was just as divisive behind closed doors as it eventually became among the gaming public.
The Legacy of the Sequel’s Plot
The controversy surrounding the game reached a fever pitch following plot leaks prior to its official release, triggering a level of online discourse comparable to the polarized reception of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The narrative choice served as a definitive conclusion to the actions Joel took at the end of the first game, despite the subsequent debates regarding the ambiguity of the original title’s ending.
What Lies Ahead for Joel?
While the character’s journey reached a violent end in Part 2, the discussion regarding his future in the franchise remains ongoing. Troy Baker, the actor behind Joel, has previously hinted that fans may not have seen the last of the character, suggesting that more stories could potentially emerge from Naughty Dog or other creative avenues in the future.
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