Reports of a Last of Us sequel are once again circulating after an unknown magazine scan featuring information on a The Last of Us 2 leaked through Imgur, but taking a closer look at certain aspects of the scan brings the legitimacy of it into question.
The scan features artwork of Last of Us co-protagonist Ellie, with the article itself claiming the character to have aged five years since the original game. While the art featured is certainly of Ellie, it bears a striking resemblance to art of her from the original game pictured above.
Should Ellie really have aged from teenager to young adult by the time The Last of Us 2 began, I’d personally find it rather surprising if Naughty Dog were to reuse assets from the first game to portray an older version of the character.
The scan also makes mention of an E3 2016 reveal, which obviously never happened. However, it’s worth noting that Sony’s E3 press conference ended slightly awkwardly, having concluded its show with a gameplay demo of Sony Bend’s Days Gone, which had already had its spotlight moment at the beginning of the presentation. This has led to speculation that something was cut from the show at the last minute.
Should this scan actually be legitimate, it features quotes from Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley, the leads on the original Last of Us and this year’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. The alleged quotes mention granting players more freedom than the first game, saying that while the game wouldn’t be a “sandbox” game in a traditional sense, but would offer players more freedom to explore its “city-scaled areas.”
A Last of Us sequel has been discussed ever since the original game launched on PlayStation 3 in 2013, and Naughty Dog has stated that another game in the series is part of a short list of potential projects the studio could be working on after the launch of Uncharted 4 earlier this year.
For more on The Last of Us, check out CGM’s review of the The Last of Us Remastered.
