Video game creator Neil Druckmann on ‘The Last of Us’ and new HBO series
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Neil Druckmann is the co-president of the video game development company Naughty Dog and creator of the game “The Last of Us,” which he has co-developed into an HBO series. Druckmann joins Gene Park, video game reporter for The Washington Post, for a conversation about the new television series, his work in video game development and the larger state of the industry.
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![The Last of Us cast sit down with game and show creators | Creator to Creator [Part 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L7qaeSYkDyg/mqdefault.jpg)
Gene looks so wonderful and healthy, so glad to see!
The Last of Us Part II came out the weekend my grandfather, the epitome of my world passed away suddenly. That game took my mind off of everything. Thank you Neil.
Hey friend, TLOU pt II came out just after my dad passed away from cancer. It was instrumental in my healing process too! Big love
One of my best friends died in a tragic accident the week before the game’s release. Just wanted to drop this to let you know I appreciated your comment. I’m glad this game could bring us all some form of healing!
@@frackattack5400 It brings me warmth knowing that other fans in the world are real ones. I hope you all enjoy Sunday night! (Monday for me here in Australia) :)
My dog died, it just made me sadder
@@SnakeEyes111 lol
19:46 is where he talks about Elden Ring
So I'm not alone. I just wanted to make sure he really said it
Happy to see Gene back and healthy. Great convo!
Blown away- two reasons - this is probably the first video around ND and TLoU that hasn’t attracted the super vocal minority constantly bagging anything related to the franchise all because they didn’t get their way in part 2 and it’s so refreshing. It’s about time they let it go and matured in how they perceive media and learned to give initial criticism and opinions when appropriate and move on. Secondly, it has to be the commitment and passion to grow the franchise from the initial “father” of the whole story! Here’s to a long successful future of this beloved tale!
Seriously. I’m so sick of all of that nonsense.
You like it, but don't dismiss thoughs of us whom have genuine concerns about where the story is heading. We're all fans of the video game series and don't want to see it tarnished the way Neil Druckmann had done with the killing of a protagonist, introduction of a secondary playable character without prior context. The link between Part 1 and Part 2 was weak with just a random dude in a long list of random dudes that were killed that was hand picked for story development. It's like the surgeon had suddenly won the lottery in Part 1. The fight scenes between Abbi and Elle were to much on rails whereby there was no freedom there to use tactics.
@@jonprice3342 well, I mean…..there are a lot of us who love what they did with the sequel. It’s a matter of opinion. It’s an excellent game, just might not be your cup of tea. And that’s fine.
This. Most of the links refering to the last of us part 2 are full of "people" (I'm being civil) crying over Joel. And what baffles me is that these people will never get that the whole point of the last of us 2 story is to show how perspective matters and how misleading a quick judgment can be. Every comment trashing Neil Drunckmann somehow helps the game convey its most important message : group logic is dangerous.
The Last of Us 2 has made me think about very deep things within me and how I deal with the world in general, but what's the most important message in the game for me has been how group logic can become toxic to a point where you lose your humanity behind pre hashed rethoric. The Museum scene with the firefly logo on the wall is a testament to that. The last notes on Ellies journal is a testament to that (fireflies, wolves, f*** them all). The Yara and Lev episode on the island is a testament to that (the "I'm on our side" line).
Anyone going through the game will take something out of it for the better. So I hate a game of this complexity and scope gets summed up in one sentence trashing Neil Drunckmann or crying over Joel and Abby.
@@kaseigunsou you have to keep in mind the majority of the public are emotionally unintelligent, vapid people.
Watching this was kind of emotional for me. Gene and I both fought cancer around the same time (my surgery was 6 weeks before his) and seeing him back at work makes me so happy. And hearing Neil talk about how music has such a big effect on his creative process was interesting to hear. Music has always played such a big part in my life, and I often feel a little weird that no one I know really "feels" music the way I do. Hearing Neil talk about music the way he did was great.
Are you in remission now?
@@apictureoffunction They said they got it all out and I’m in “surveillance”, and they don’t expect a recurrence. So I guess I am! Still hard to wrap my brain around it though. It was like 5 weeks between my diagnosis and the surgery in Sept-Oct. So it’s been a whirlwind.
Wow , i respect that. I love to see this. Music is such a beautiful piece of art HAND'S DOWN!
Just like Neil said. This game stuck with me for years. Especially TLOU2. I don't think i've ever felt such strong emotions in my entire life as I felt playing that game. That game will stay with me until the day that I die. It taught me a lesson in life. And that's how you know you've created a magnificent piece of art.
Sunday can't come soon enough.
The second one was awful
@@chrisrevel2801 The second one was the best game i've ever played
@@chrisrevel2801 no it wasn't lol. The only ones who say that are literally a loud minority. The game, until very recently, was the most awarded video game of all time, surpassing the likes of Witcher 3, Zelda, Tlou Part 1 etc. It was also a massive commercial success, not just critical. Those are straight up facts which you can easily check on internet. And just like the guy above pointed out - it was also one the greatest games I have ever played on Playstation system and probably in general too
@@ShArp_MK it was depressing , the ending was laughably bad . The 1st one is much better , better story , way better characters and it sold more copies
@@chrisrevel2801 It was depressing because that was the whole point of the sequel so wtf are you talking about? The ending was not only satisfying but also meaningful on so many levels. You either completely missed the character development and how they dealt with their own traumas, too young to get it or never even played it to begin with. Just stop lol.
More copies sold than Part 2 as of now? Well no shit - the original came back in 2013 and since then it sold more than 20mil copies in 10 years but Part 2, being less than 3 years old already sold more than 10mil copies. Also Part 2, until recent GoW Ragnarok, held Sony's record for the most successful commercial release on opening week I'm not sure how good at math you are but I'm pretty sure you can figure out how in 10 years it will surpass the original. The only question is by how much. So once again - you are spouting nonsense all over the place and make yourself look like a total clown.
P.S. I also love how you decided to ignore my comment regarding the actual facts just because it doesn't fit with your laughable narrative:))
Neil druckmann was my inspiration growing up and the reason why I became a game designer. My hero in the gaming industry and the path I want to follow as a game designer. Someone who writes deep emotional stories, backed up by brilliant voice acting, and badass gameplay. Neil druckmann is him👏🏿🖤
Good luck in your journey mate! And never forget ,'' When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light. ''
@@ryanmyandee2339 100 percent
Hi. Was wondering if you could give me some insight into where you’re at in your career or study and the steps like classes or courses that you took to get there. I too was inspired by TLOU and naughty dogs superb interactive story telling. I’d like to be apart of anything like that but have no clue as to the qualifications or the needed experience to do so. Any insight would be helpful thank you.
@@Tummy_tv rn I’m working as a level designer at an indie game studio in NC. I went to George mason and studied and grad in game design in 2021. Honestly just have a portfolio of games and have a focus on what kind of game design you wanna do whether it be programming , modeling, or design. I will say this it’s incredibly hard finding work but best to start small at an indie studio and work your way up AAA which is what I’m doing
But the indie game studio I work at is making an ambitious AAA project so I’m hoping that we release our game and make a lot of money and get the studio established. My hopes is that we get established and I can make way up to create my own game
I experienced a lot of loss before and during my first playthrough of The Last Of Us Part 2 and the game really hit me in my core, I felt that intense anger, guilt and grief that Ellie felt but I understood how dangerous and degrading that is to hold on to. How Ellie physically and emotional felt on that beach was a perfect representation of how destructive those intense feeling can be when you hold onto them. It saddens me a lot that not everyone could experience TLOU2 in the same way but I think that it was a perfect and very complimentary follow up to the first game.
It's not what you do. It's how you do it. There are a few videos that ripped the second game to pieces. Go watch them with this open mind you seem to have.
@@jaredbogart5461 sweaty youtube takes on why they hated it doesn't mean anything
@@Joeystick Yeah especially since 95% of them are *atrociously* bad takes which within seconds become debunkable. TLOU2 has fantastic writing and gameplay whether someone got their panties in a bunch over what they think is "woke propaganda". But if "torture porn" and misery is not elements that you enjoy in a good story, because it becomes too much for you, then yeah, those kinds of arguments I can accept. I love those kind of story elements though.
@@jaredbogart5461 Yeah and most of them are kind of hilarious garbage though. About ~5% of the critique I've read or listened to, even meets the minimum bar of making sense.
@@simonfarre4907 I detect bias.
thank you Gene and Neil for answering my question!! I can not wait until Sunday!
Great interview, great job by Gene for the questions and Neil with the great answers !
Gene nailed these questions! These were really interesting to hear
For all the unjustified hate Neil Drunckmann (and to some extent the whole cast, including the amazing Laura Bailey) has been getting for the Last of Us part 2, I just want to go on record stating this man is one of the most passionate directors of our generation. We love your art Neil, keep up the good work and please dont let any bad review drag your vision down.
He is a selfish prick
The man who single handedly brought down Naughty Dog.
Finally someone with brain !!
@@BillTaylor- Finally someone without a brain.
"The guy who single handedly brought down Naughty Dog" - You mean the guy whose writing was so good it made you develop a parasocial relationship with a video game character? His resume consists of being the game designer and co-writer of Uncharted, the co-lead game designer and co-writer of Uncharted 2, the creative director and writer of The Last of Us, the creative director and lead co-writer of Uncharted 4, and the creative director and lead co-writer of TLOU Part 2. He is one of the best things to happen to Naughty Dog and a massive reason why they're so good. 👍
You destroyed the greatest story in video game history.
He also created it, fully, from the ground up. Oh and, Part 2 makes it even better.
What a great interview! Vampire Survivors getting a callout is awesome
I love what he's created , the last of us is so important to me it is not just a game to me, But a part of my life .
That’s incredibly pathetic and sad.
@@Ric_1-t9eyeah lol as a fan this kid needs to separate themselves from consumerism
Neil Druckmann is one of my most inspiring men what a legend 🥇🎮
Too bad he seen the light n creates woke anti white trash 🤣🎊
Yes, he's inspiring people to make terrible products
It's been two years and he still lives rent-free in these dumbasses' heads. What a pathetic way of making your life worse.
You're right, he is an inspiring man. Naughty Dog is full of talented people.
Fr! Can’t wait for factions 2 and Part 3
@@SirSaladAss yep, minus Neil Druckmann, lol
Nice to see Gene is doing well.
20:50 super interesting. Watching a cutscene makes your players be passive. Giving them the opportunity to understand the story through exploration of a space and connection of the different dots make them active. I like how Drunckmann refers to this process as gameplay. Just like pushing the right buttons to do something, finding the right clues, to Drunckmann, is a whole part of the game world design and gameplay loop.
Given how stellar games which have incorporated that philosophy (Witcher 3, Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, Read Dead Redemption, even Final Fantasy XIV to name a few which come to mind) have been, it's safe to say Drunckmann is onto something with pushing that process even further.
I dont know if we can use active and passive synonymously
Great interview.
TLoU2 is one of the greatest games ever made, for many reasons, but most of all because it pushed the entire medium of video games forward and used the medium to tell it's story in a way that is unique to video games themselves.
Adapting it for television is going to be a challenge, for sure.
TLOU2 was the most affective story I've ever seen and I still think about it all the time. Neil has a loyal fan in me thanks to it and I'll check out everything he does.
Ur a blinde guy, he put his self in this game to show he spit on Joel and all the community. Read between the lines.
@@BillTaylor- You mean Manny? The character looks exactly like the actor who plays him: Alejandro Edda. Instead of „reading between the lines” how about actually reading the lines.
@@MatiZ815 wtf u talking Neil Druckmann put his self in the game and is the one who spit on Joel. 🤣🤣🤣 yea read the line. The game is garbage and the producer of last of us 1, wich was a women, leave the production because she can’t stand to that woke bs this guys produce. Wake up instead of telling me to wake up. This guy kill naughty dog single handed. Mark my words. 😉
Crash Bandicoot changed my outlook on life and shaped me into the piece of sh*t I am today. Thank you Neil.
Wow, curious to know what kind of an impact Crash had on you?
I hope he does the same story by cracking joel's skull in season 2 and let the people decide if he deserve applause.
lmao "your last game last of us 2 was about revenge is bad" i love tlou2 and always thought summing it up that blandly is ridiculous. but that cracked me up
Never seen Gene before. but that little slip up there at the end made me feel he is a genuine dude.
I am so excited for this series to be shared with more people. The Last of Us series is one of my favorite games series, second only to the Mass Effect trilogy. Can’t wait for the next things in the universe.
Good to see you back and doing interviews Gene. Congrats on fighting cancer!
Apparently TLoU2 is getting remastered for PS5. They've been releasing the same two games for 10 years, we seriously need a video game crash to oust these English major hacks from the industry.
Druckman finally acknowledged bruce straley's role in the Last of Us. That's the only good thing about this interview.
What about Amy for Uncharted?
Loved the interview!!!
Neil Druckmann ruined the last of us 2
Excellent questions and thoughtful, considered answers. Thank you both gentlemen
A great conversation with the goat of gaming!
Great interview.
Can't wait to listen to this.
Great interview, Neil Druckmann is a incredible game director, his games Last of Us 1, 2 are among my favorite games of all time, Uncharted 4 was amazing too, Neil’s stories are so deep, the characters are so well developed, you feel for each of them, their is something about Neil’s games that you can’t find anywhere else, his story telling skills will definitely apply in the Last of Us show as well 👏👏👏👏
He arbitrarily kills characters because he thinks you need to shock the audience at every turn. Look into what he tried to do with the original TLoU, and Uncharted 2.
I really appreciate his seriousness of purpose when it comes to changing how stories are told in video games.
Funny how his games try to be super serious, but come off as more funny
@@rockys201begone troll
@@funkrobot9762 begone troll
@@rockys201 begone troll
@@funkrobot9762 begone troll
Let’s see how can they horribly butcher the second season
Oh don't worry mate they won't butcher it. TV show viewers aren't as whiny and parasocial as gamers.
too bad you lost a lot of ppls interest in the franchise when you ruined the 2nd game
"A lot of ppls interest" - Yes so many people. Its why the franchise is breaking records as a TV show and its why the franchise TLOU is literally the biggest its ever been. You haters have a combined 4 brain cells between the lot of you.
I'm loving the HBO series!
The Last of Us Part 2 is such an incredible game. Shame that a lot of people can't seem to understand it.
A lot of people like Disney kind of stories, that's why
It was not an incredible game. I played it and it was a travesty. Too much ‘woke’ propaganda and inappropriate same sex nonesense that seemed more like an agenda then a genuine approach to artistic expression.
When I first played The last of us on my ps3, i was moved a lot by the story and the game made by this legend..
Then came The last of us part 2 on ps4, another masterpiece he delivered..
Now I'm playing the part 1 again with remastered version on my ps5..
What i meant to say, neil sir and naughty god never disappoint.. the story is just unmatchable..
And I'm happy that the HBO show also made justice to it.. great!! ♥️♥️
14:42
Interesting interview! Need more Gene!
So Sam is going to be deaf. This an interesting piece of info. Looking forward to show.
my man forgot the outro 😂
Last of us 1 is not from this guy !!!!
Yes, yes it is.
i think the interviever is gay and has a crush on neil.
Great interview
Give Gene a raise. He's by far the best the the Post has.
Lookin good man. Nice to see your doing better
I hate him will not watch no matter how good it is. Like with anything Disney I am done.If we don't stand by are convictions then who are we
11:43
24:37 Humanizing the “hunters” in the show.
When I hear "Neil Druckman" I only think of gender brainwashing, and not these cool games he brought us.
Awesome interview Gene! Must be tricky threading the needle between what the Launcher audience expects versus framing everything appropriately for the WAPO live audience.
adore Neil Druckmann. Always seems to strive to be sincere. (hope he may someday find a way to collaborate with Damon Lindelof. they both seem to share a knack for gut punching human emotion AND satisfying entertainment and spectacle).
I love this game and now the show but I can't play 2. I spent so much time with Joel that I'm not going to watch him die even though I know he was killed off.
Fucking spoilers dude, god damn. Don’t ruin it for everyone that hasn’t played the game and are watching the show for the first time.
I wish naughty had never hired Neil druckman…what a waste
You wish Naughty Dog never hired the game designer and co-writer of Uncharted, the co-lead game designer and co-writer of Uncharted 2, the creative director and writer of The Last of Us, the creative director and lead co-writer of Uncharted 4, and the creative director and lead co-writer of TLOU Part 2? He's one of the biggest reasons you fell in love with Naughty Dog buddy.
Cushion with the moth in the background... he's still looking for the light.
Upcoming future naughty dog games going to be purchased day one
The video has no sound on my tv for some reason 🤔
Anyone has the same issue?
Same. Have sounds if I watch on my phone, but not on my TV…
🔥🔥THE LAST OF US 3 🔥🔥
I’m just coming in rn but did they ask my Pyra/Mythra question?
Neil takin his victory lap..congrats to him and the teams at naughty dog and hbo
Too Deep - Sum 41
You're making a game,
Hoping for fortune and fame,
But, man, watching your dev team code is hard work,
Slave away talking to the press,
And blowing sunshine up your ass,
About the plot you wrote in one night,
You tell your devs to pick up the pace,
'Cause you just can't wait to be showered in praise,
Then your whole game leaks, still not out for weeks,
And the story is whack, imagine being Druckmann,
All the spoilers killed, hype you tried to build,
The world thinks you're a hack, imagine being Druckmann,
Imagine being Druckmann,
Your team's got a streak,
Of crunching sixty-hour weeks,
And then the rumours of them forced to watch snuff,
Dude, you can't treat people that way,
I mean, that shit is not okay,
You don't need for the deaths to look real that bad,
You try to pretend everyone's fine,
'Cause you don't want this shit to wind up online,
Now the whole world knows working for your blows,
Reputation is wrecked, imagine being Druckmann,
Put your team through pain while you bathe in fame,
I mean, what'd you expect? Imagine being Druckmann,
Imagine being Druckmann,
Imagine being Druckmann,
Imagine being Druckmann,
Take down memes with DMCA,
Even after the release day,
And ban the use of bad reviews,
You can't just choose reception that you get, dude,
So believe me, it's this easy,
To sit down and crank out more fucking memes,
All your game evokes, is a bunch of jokes,
It just doesn't get worse, imagine being Druckmann,
From industry jock, to a laughing stock,
Even Anthony Burch says imagine being Druckmann,
Imagine being Druckmann,
Imagine being Druckmann today,
Imagine being Druckmann,
Imagine being Druckmann today,
Imagine being Druckmann today,
Imagine being Druckmann today,
really great interview
This is a man driven by ego and it shows in the way he writes narratives and the way he virtue signals. Bruce Stradley did much on the first to iron out a good story in TLOU1. Unfortunately, Neil spearheaded the second and it was absolute dogshït. Him deciding to create narratives that don't rely on handholding and movie cutscenes is a direct result of the praise that Fromsoft has been getting for Elden Ring. In particular, the praise that Hidetaka Miyazaki has been receiving; Neil is envious and he wants in on that because, again, he is driven by ego. What a terrible writer. Imagine all the great talent at Naughty Dog being made to create the most graphical and technically impressive pile of excrement.
Still bitter about Joel. That sucks. For you.
@@chandrastar5939 Joel getting killed off in a sequel was a given. If they didn't kill him off, you could make the argument that they were playing it safe. The problem is a self-centered tool hijacking a beloved franchise to insert his personal politics in an attempt to show off his moral supremacy like flasher with a micropenis. Stay pozzed, bug.
@@stoshy81 He's a simp funnily enough.
A woman he keeps bringing up or something.
Personally I found Elden Ring's story to be very average but I'm glad the lesson being emphasized is trusting in the player's intelligence to figure things out. The hand holding in recent major Sony 1P should be completely optional. Also, I absolutely lol'd at @4:24. God bless everyone who mainly took "Revenge is Bad" as the main message of TLOU Part II
Elden ring has average story? You have no idea just how deep and mind-blowing it is. But like you said you have to search for it
@@user-fi8gg4wd9i I mean, I've yet to see anyone give me an interesting synopsis without having to watch a bunch of lore videos. And I'm not interested in watching several hours of Lore videos in addition to playing the game just to understand it.
@@user-fi8gg4wd9i elden ring might have good lore/worldbuilding and ambientation but the story is nothing special, same for dark souls and bloodborne
@@hanyu_dada i completely disagree, especially about BloodBorne. ruclips.net/p/PL5qt6HFb6TwDZnuy8ZyfEPLUxo6OvQ7YM
@@user-fi8gg4wd9i I think bloodborne is actually the worst offender, the game explains nothing at all, thats just lore videos like every from game
amazing creator, what an emotional game. hyped to watch the series with the fam, and hope they finish the story with TLOU part 3.
Wonderful interview Gene, hope you have a great one!
The boy who thought he was an auteur...
Great interview. I find Neil, Cory are up there with Miyamoto and Miyazaki. True visionaries that push gaming forward as a medium in their own unique way.
That moth🤔
make PC game not fucking just Pc
Bahahaha
Hopefully, he doesn't ruin the show like he did the game series...
This was great
The host gets some slack just because we know he was jealous of his life.
basically neil wants to downgrade from cinematic game to braindead gaming/more gameplay 21:00
The biggest mistake he did was the second game killing Joel was a big no but well done on the tv series another mistake haven a uncharted game without Nathan drake
Not only that, Cuckman gave us Abby, a man sized woman with an unlikeable bitchy attitude who killed Joel.
Abby was a “Strong female character” and “stunning and brave”.
And speaking of the Uncharted movie, why Sony cast Tom Holland as Nathan Drake instead of Nathan Fillion?
Have they not seen the fan film on RUclips?
These are some very long-winded questions.
@@HM-eg9hv I actually finally stopped crying and you just brought up the terrible memories all over again....back to crying i go
He's Jewish..lol
Regardless of origin bro created TLOU
Okay...so what?
@@Vip_News Amy Hennig had more of a say on the original, superior title.
@@jeanbethencourt1506 ur still mad 2/5 years later think about the impact of that game lol now tell me how good those graphics and gameplay looks hahaha
@@Vip_News which one? The one with the lesbians and the tranny? Or the one with Joel?
Neil Sucksman destroyed his own creation.
Cringe, you're either 12 years old or a maidenless 40 year old. No in between.
Kill off the one of the best characters in one of the best video game franchises ever... for abbyzilla.
Sure thing boss.🙄
yeah, he need attention to be alive lol. because almost nobody give a damn about his work anymore. i'm curious the last of us 3 would ever happen LMAO.
@@caxshen 💯 real right there!
Word!
Well that's actually not true. You seem to think your lil hate vibe= reality. Everyone else absolutely loves the game and Neil.
It's been a couple yrs. Get over it.
If they do a second season they're gonna kill Joel. Again.
The greatest person in the games industry today who gave us two of the greatest games ever. Can't wait for the show!