While The Last of Us captivated players with its opening scene in 2013, the game’s origins stretch much further back. Neil Druckmann, the director behind the acclaimed title and its sequel, recently revealed that the initial concept for the game was first developed in 2003.
Druckmann shared old sketches on his Instagram page, offering a very early glimpse of the characters who would eventually become Joel and Ellie. In the first sketch, both appear significantly younger, with Joel seemingly in his twenties or late teens. The second sketch offers a closer resemblance to the characters we would later encounter and play as, though several distinct differences are still easy to spot.
Druckmann wrote on Instagram: “‘While cleaning the garage today, I came across my original 2003 sketches for a game pitch about a man, his surrogate daughter, and a journey across a broken America. It’s been a wild ride. Grateful for every part of it, especially the few stops that remain on the road ahead.'”
This mention of “the road ahead” has been widely interpreted by fans as a subtle confirmation of ongoing projects for The Last of Us franchise. While it’s largely anticipated that Ellie’s story will eventually conclude with The Last of Us: Part III, any such title would likely be released after Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Naughty Dog’s next scheduled game.