GAME · 2013 · USA
The Last of Us
- Developer
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3
116 archived facts 7 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
116 Interesting Facts About The Last of Us
Interesting Facts (46)
- #001
'The infected' were inspired by an episode of the BBC Documentary Planet Earth (2006) that featured Cordyceps - a killer fungi which invades the bodies of ants and can actually exercise a basic control over the insect's motor functions. The infected ant will climb up high and die in a position that allows the fungus's spores to travel farther and reach another host. It was featured in the episode titled "Jungles" (Jungles (2006)).
- #002
- #003
Naughty Dog worked on the game in secret for two full years. After completing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves in 2009, the company split their staff into two teams. One to work on The Last of Us, and the other to work on Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. When Naughty Dog first split into two teams, the second team wasn't sure what to make. They considered doing another game in the Jak and Daxter series but the developers felt they had to work on a new IP to justify making a second team.
- #004
The 'Ish' subplot discovered through a multitude of notes in 'The Suburbs' chapter of the game is inspired by George R. Stewart's 1949 novel, 'Earth Abides.' In it, Isherwood Williams, AKA Ish, returns to civilization after spending an extended time at his remote archaeological camp to find that almost all of humanity has been wiped out by a virus. He meets an African American woman named Emma, and they decide to raise a family together and found a community. But, after the death of Ish's son, Joey, Ish gives up all hope of reestablishing the society that he fondly remembers before the virus outbreak.
- #005
- #006
At PAX Prime 2013, Naughty Dog showed off enemy characters that never made it into the game. One type of enemy appeared to be bald, fanged beats with stringy fungus growing off of their backs. Other early concepts looked like generic zombies with fungi like groups scattered across their bodies. The developers felt that these iterations didn't feel like still-living infected humans, which is why they were scrapped. Another enemy that was cut from the final game is an infected elephant. It had tendrils of fungus grow from its legs and blooming mushrooms on its head. A scenario in the game would have had this creature chasing Joel as he desperately scrambled away. Instead the team decided early on that they wanted to have zoo animals to roam freely in the game. This led to the giraffe scene.
- #007
In Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, there were collaborative gameplay segments with Nathan Drake and his Tibetan ally, Tenzin. The interactions between these two characters was an interesting way to tell the game's story. This gave Naughty Dog the idea to develop Joel and Ellie's characters through similar mechanics.
- #008
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- #017
While shooting the game's climax, Troy Baker (Joel) kept dropping his gun and the scene had to be reshot several times. Eventually Neil Druckmann told him to carry on no matter what and asked Merle Dandridge (Marlene) to deliver her lines by singing them at random. When Troy Baker was told not to stop, he went along with it and started singing, and they played out the whole scene singing. Troy Baker finished the scene by picking Ellie up in his arms and going "dan dan dan dan dan dan dan".
- #018
One element not used in the game was Ellie's puppy. In early concept art, Ellie is seen carrying her injured dog. The idea of Joel and Ellie getting a puppy was cut entirely. It was also planned for Ellie to use her fungal immunity to pass through spore-filled areas, which would have allowed players to control her during these sections.
- #019
- #020
- #021
The ending is similar to the beginning of the game, but reversed. In the intro, Joel and Sarah start at home, then use the car to escape the infected; the car crashes and Joel has to carry Sarah; Sarah is shot by a soldier and dies in Joel's arms. Near the end of the game, an unconscious Ellie (reminiscent of the dying Sarah) is carried by Joel away from people, to a car, from the hospital. The pair then return 'home'; the home is Tommy's settlement.
- #022
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- #033
In Pittsburgh, you can hear two hunters discussing how much trouble they had killing a recently encountered unusually resilient young tourist girl. One of the hunters questions whether they should take her in, but his partner rejects the idea, saying he would kill them at the first opportunity. This mirrors what happens to David (and his group) later in the story, when he tries to take Ellie in even after she and Joel killed most of his men.
- #034
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- #037
In a cutscene between Joel and Bill, Joel tries to tell Bill that he is not looking after Ellie because he cares ("It's not like that"), and Bill replies, "Bullshit. It is exactly like that." and "You babysit long enough, you're gonna pop." It turns out Bill knows what he is talking about, because Joel eventually cares enough about Ellie to see her as a surrogate daughter and risks his life greatly for her, possibly depriving humanity of finding a vaccine.
- #038
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- #042
During the emotional argument in Jackson, Ashley Johnson improvised pushing Troy Baker. After reshooting the exhausting and critical scene many times, Troy began to focus and did not make eye contact with Ashley while she acted. Ashley then pushed Troy to get his attention, and that was the final take.
- #043
- #044
In the 'Bill's Town' chapter, an optional dialogue can be heard in which Joel and Ellie talk about chess. Bill addresses Ellie as 'Bobby Fischer'. Fischer was world chess champion between 1972 and 1975. The only American to win the title. Coincidentally, Fischer won the first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. Ellie is 14 years old during the events of the game.
- #045
Contains a major spoiler — show
On July 28, 2014, at the live performance of The Last of Us, game director Neil Druckmann introduced a special, unrecorded scene that takes place after the ending of the game. The scene was performed live on stage by principal actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson. Druckmann requested that nobody film during the scene, and stressed that it will never be released or revealed in any other form. The scene was reportedly written by Druckmann as a "goodbye" to Joel and Ellie, and takes place at Tommy's dam one night after the closing events of the game. Some reports put it at four years later, but the general consensus is broadly "after". Joel is talking to Ellie in her room at Tommy's, explaining that Tommy is trying to set him up to marry a girl named Esther. According to various accounts of the scene, Ellie is acting distant and reserved, until Joel pulls out a guitar and sings a song (which Joel's voice actor Troy Baker performed live). Joel tells Ellie a joke, and the pair laugh together, the tension broken. Joel leaves the guitar with Ellie as a gift, and the scene ends with Ellie alone on her bed, strumming a chord. Then over two years later in 2016, the first trailer for The Last of Us: Part II was revealed. It's opening shot has Ellie alone on a bed, strumming a guitar. A version of the scene was also included in the beginning of the sequel, with some changes to the writing.
- #046
Production Story (22)
- #047
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- #049
As well as movies, literature, and other video games, The Last of Us directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley took inspiration from real life events, one of which was the 1918 Spanish influenza. Druckmann also considered the lengths he'd go to protect his family drawing inspiration from his newly found fatherhood. In an interview, he stated "All of a sudden I realized just how far I'd go to protect my kid, things I've never ever thought about before. It's become a huge inspiration."
- #050
At PAX Prime 2013, Naughty Dog showed off enemy characters that never made it into the game. One type of enemy appeared to be bald, fanged beasts with stringy fungus growing off of their backs. Other early concepts looked like generic zombies with fungi like groups scattered across their bodies. The developers felt that these iterations didn't feel like still-living infected humans, which is why they were scrapped. Another enemy that was cut from the final game is an infected elephant. It had tendrils of fungus grow from its legs and blooming mushrooms on its head. A scenario in the game would have had this creature chasing Joel as he desperately scrambled away. Instead the team decided early on that they wanted to have zoo animals to roam freely in the game. This led to the giraffe scene.
- #051
In Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, there were collaborative gameplay segments with Nathan Drake and his Tibetan ally, Tenzin. The interactions between these two characters was an interesting way to tell the game's story. This gave Naughty Dog the idea to develop Joel and Ellie's characters through similar mechanics.
- #052
The surprise reveal of this game was almost completely ruined. Naughty Dog originally planned it to be announced before the release of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011), but the announcement was pushed back. However, developers of Uncharted accidentally left an easter egg for this game in a newspaper article that states 'Scientists are still struggling to understand deadly fungus'. Fortunately, nobody realized that Naughty Dog was teasing their new game, and the surprise reveal went on as planned.
- #053
The Cormac McCarthy books No Country For Old Men and The Road (as confirmed by Naughty Dog themselves) are influences on the game: * Joel is named after Joel Cohen, one of the directors of the film adaptation of No Country For Old Men. * In the book version a Texan man with a gun accompanies a young redhaired girl, similar to Joel accomanying Ellie (and fighting alongside her). * Joel and Ellie have a big age difference between them and go through a post-apocalyptic American landscape, similar to the father and son in The Road.
- #054
- #055
Naughty Dog worked on the game in secret for two full years. After completing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves in 2009, the company split their staff into two teams. One to work on The Last of Us, and the other to work on Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. When Naughty Dog first split into two teams, the second team wasn't sure what to make. They considered doing another game in the Jak and Daxter series but the developers felt they had to work on a new IP to justify making a second team.
- #056
- #057
- #058
- #059
'The infected' were inspired by an episode of the BBC Documentary Planet Earth (2006) that featured Cordyceps - a killer fungi which invades the bodies of ants and can actually exercise a basic control over the insect's motor functions. The infected ant will climb up high and die in a position that allows the fungus's spores to travel farther and reach another host. It was featured in the episode titled "Jungles" (Jungles (2006)).
- #060
Initial sketches for the likeness of Tess were based on Jennifer Lawrence, Kaya Scodelario, Penélope Cruz and Michelle Rodriguez.
- #061
The story changed considerably over the course of development, with the character Tess initially being the main antagonist who pursues Joel and Ellie across the country due to the former accidentally causing the death of her brother after saving Ellie from execution by a group of soldiers. Tess was initially meant to capture Joel and killed by Ellie though this was scrapped as the developers felt it was unrealistic for Tess to pursue Joel with her gang of smugglers for an entire year.
- #062
The 'Ish' subplot discovered through a multitude of notes in 'The Suburbs' chapter of the game is inspired by George R. Stewart's 1949 novel, 'Earth Abides.' In it, Isherwood Williams, AKA Ish, returns to civilization after spending an extended time at his remote archaeological camp to find that almost all of humanity has been wiped out by a virus. He meets an African American woman named Emma, and they decide to raise a family together and found a community. But, after the death of Ish's son, Joey, Ish gives up all hope of reestablishing the society that he fondly remembers before the virus outbreak.
- #063
- #064
- #065
Contains a major spoiler — show
An unused element in the game was Ellie's puppy. Early concept art shows Ellie carrying her dog after it was injured. The idea of Joel and Ellie adopting a puppy was ultimately cut entirely. It was also planned for Ellie to use her fungal immunity to cross spore filled areas. This would have allowed players to control her during it.
- #066
- #067
Contains a major spoiler — show
At the 2016 PlayStation Experience (PSX) a sequel titled The Last of Us: Part II was announced. In its reveal trailer Joel discovers Ellie singing and playing a guitar in a house full of dead people, who appear to possibly be Fireflies, that Ellie has presumably killed. Shortly after its reveal the trailer was confirmed to have been running in real time on actual PlayStation 4 Pro hardware rather than being a prerecorded video. It was also confirmed that players would primarily be playing as the now 19-year-old Ellie, which also confirms that this sequel takes place five years after the first game. Writer and creative director of the first game Neil Druckmann is confirmed to be directing this sequel, and Gustavo Santaolalla has also returned to compose the game's score.
- #068
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #069
During Joel and Ellie's emotional argument in Jackson, Ashley Johnson improvised shoving Troy Baker. After redoing the tiring pivotal scene many times, Troy began losing focus and didn't make eye contact with Ashley while she acted. Ashley then shoved Troy to bring his attention back to her and this ended up being the final take.
- #070
While shooting the climax of the game, Troy Baker (Joel) kept dropping his prop gun and having to have the scene be re-shot several times before director Neil Druckmann's instructing him to continue with the scene no matter what and also told Merle Dandridge (Marlene) to randomly start singing her dialogue. While Troy Baker was told not to stop, he went along with it and started singing as well, and went through the entire scene singing their dialogue. Troy Baker ended the scene by picking up Ellie and going "dun dun dun dun dun dun dun".
Characters & Cast (6)
- #071
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- #074
At a live performance on July 28, 2014, director Neil Druckmann presented a special, unrecorded scene set after the game's ending. The scene was performed on stage by lead actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson. Druckmann stressed that the scene would never be released in any other form. It was written as a farewell to Joel and Ellie and takes place at Tommy's dam, one night after the closing events of the game. Although some reports suggest it is set four years later, the general consensus is that it is set "after." Joel, in Ellie's room, tells her that Tommy is trying to marry him off to someone named Esther. While Ellie keeps her distance, Joel takes out a guitar and sings (Troy Baker sang live). Joel tells a joke, the two laugh together, and the tension dissolves. Joel leaves the guitar as a gift for Ellie; the scene ends with Ellie strumming the guitar alone on her bed. More than two years later, in 2016, the first trailer for The Last of Us: Part II was released. In the opening scene, Ellie plays the guitar alone on a bed. A version of this scene, with some spelling changes, also appears at the beginning of the sequel.
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Easter Eggs & References (23)
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- #086
According to the marquee on the Armadillo Theater in the prologue, the theater is showing Damocles Rising, Tales of Cimarron, Ghost of the Mojave, Under Your Skin, Fever Dream, The Lost Kingdom and La Casita (The Little House). Additionally, they are advertising the upcoming release of Blood Samurai. They also offer free popcorn.
- #087
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- #091
During the 'Bill's Town' chapter. An optional conversation can be heard in which Joel and Ellie discuss chess. Bill will refer to Ellie as 'Bobby Fischer'. Fischer was the world chess champion from 1972-1975. The only American to win the title. Incidentally, Fischer won the first of his record eight US Championships at the age of 14. Ellie is 14 during the events of the game.
- #092
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- #094
In the abandoned subway line behind the Boston capitol building, you can find a note left behind by a smuggler who was waiting for someone named Frank to show up so he could be brought into the QZ. It's not until the next chapter that you find out who Frank was, why he wanted into Boston, and why he never made it.
- #095
- #096
The surprise reveal of this game was almost completely ruined. Naughty Dog originally planned it to be announced before the release of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011), but the announcement was pushed back. However, developers of Uncharted accidentally left an easter egg for this game in a newspaper article that states 'Scientists are still struggling to understand deadly fungus'. Fortunately, nobody realized that Naughty Dog was teasing their new game, and the surprise reveal went on as planned.
- #097
Several Uncharted easter eggs can be seen in hidden places during the game. For example, when Joel, Ellie, Sam and Henry pass through a toy store, Uncharted: The Board Game can be seen on one of the shelves. The Last of Us's creative director Neil Druckmann later became the creative director of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
- #098
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Deeper Meaning (16)
- #100
Giraffes are a recurring theme throughout. Seemingly representing innocence, almost every time they are seen, it is in the presence of a child or relating to children. The locations where they appear go as follows: * Behind the door in Sarah's bedroom, in the prologue. * The movie theater in the prologue has a marquee saying the movie "Girrafic Park" is playing there. * A little girl is seen playing with one in the Boston QZ, just before the first encounter with Robert's men. * A giraffe picture in a house in Bill's Town, just beyond the doggy door. * Outside the school, also in Bill's Town. * In the room where you first encounter Henry and Sam, on the side of a picture of a dog. * There are several of them in the toy store in Pittsburgh. * In the children's playroom in the sewer. * In the bedroom in the Ranch House. * Advertisements in Salt Lake. * The herd in Salt Lake. * Painted on the walls in the pediatrics unit of the hospital. In the Left Behind DLC, two can be found in the arcade.
- #101
- #102
Giraffes are a recurring motif throughout. They seemingly represent innocence, almost always appearing next to a child or in relation to children. The places they appear are as follows: * In the prologue, behind the door in Sarah's bedroom. * In the movie theater in the opening chapter, there is a scrolling sign indicating that the film "Giraffic Park" is playing there. * A little girl is seen playing with one in the Boston QZ just before her first encounter with Robert's men. * In a house in Bill's Town, a picture of a giraffe just behind the dog door. * Outside the school, also in Bill's Town. * In the room where you first meet Henry and Sam, next to a picture of a dog. * There are several of them in the toy store in Pittsburgh. * In the children's playroom in the sewers. * In the bedroom in the Farm House. * Salt Lake City advertisements. * The herd at Salt Lake City. * Painted on the walls of the hospital's pediatric unit. In the Left Behind DLC, two can be found in the arcade.
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- #105
As well as movies, literature, and other video games, The Last of Us directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley took inspiration from real life events, one of which was the 1918 Spanish influenza. Druckmann also considered the lengths he'd go to protect his family drawing inspiration from his newly found fatherhood. In an interview, he stated "All of a sudden I realized just how far I'd go to protect my kid, things I've never ever thought about before. It's become a huge inspiration."
- #106
Near the end of the game, in the Firefly fortress, you can find a recording left by the surgeon who is to operate on Ellie. Although the recording is largely ambiguous, it explains how Ellie could be used for a cure. However, the surgeon says "As we've seen in all past cases" and "Their sacrifices shall not be in vain," implying that there have been others like Ellie and that the surgeries ended in death. This changes the way the final scene is viewed: what Joel tells Ellie could be a complete lie if the player did not listen to the recordings, or a half-truth if they did.
- #107
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- #109
If you pay attention to the news audio in the opening credits, the anchor states that vaccine trials have failed. This is because, especially in 2013, vaccines for fungal diseases in humans are scientifically impossible, and only modest breakthroughs were made in the 2020s. This foreshadows the Fireflies' dubious motivations for developing a vaccine from Ellie's brain with limited technology.
- #110
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- #112
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the Firefly stronghold near the end of the game, there is a recording left behind by the surgeon who will perform the procedure on Ellie that can be found. It is for the most part, ambiguous, and it overall states how Ellie can be used for a cure. However, he does mention "As we've seen in all past cases" and, near the end, he states "All the sacrifices of those men and women or worse, will not be in vain." hinting that there may have been more people like Ellie, and their surgeries went wrong resulting in their deaths. This changes the point of view of the epilogue: Joel's statement to Ellie may very well be a lie if the player didn't listen to the recordings while playing the game. But Joel's statement to Ellie may very well be a half-truth if the player did listen to them.
- #113
Contains a major spoiler — show
When we first see Joel, he's talking to Tommy on the phone. His daughter gives him a watch as a present to replace his old broken watch, he tricks her by saying that it's broken. After which she lies down on the couch to watch TV and falls asleep, at which point Joel carries her to her bed and says goodnight. Her first sign something is wrong is Tommy calling her and asking to talk to Joel. She ends up carried by Joel through town when the zombie apocalypse breaks out, then is shot and dies (metaphorically "falling asleep"), and the watch does end up broken by the time he meets Ellie. He still keeps it.
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