The Last of Us PlayStation 3 & 4 games rediscovered after HBO series launch and other latest updates on the franchise
Co-Director of The Last of Us video games, Bruce Straley says his missing credits from the HBO series is an 'argument for unionization'. Read on for details of the updates on The Last of Us games and ongoing HBO adaptation.
The Last of Us is undoubtedly one of the best video game series ever to have come out of Sony and PlayStation. Here’s further proof of it. The latest that is now the talk of the town is the TV series adaptation from HBO. One of the most anticipated shows of 2023, the Last of Us TV series premiered last week, and it is already proving its mettle. Within the two days of the pilot launch, The Last of Us TV series surpassed 10 million views.
For adaptations of video games to have a track record of not doing so well, it's good to see the world witness something so beautiful to come out of the world of gamers. The series keeps reminding us of that, not just with the nostalgia of playing the games, but also with the controversies and dirt. Game Director Bruce Straley seems to have not received any credit in the HBO series for having contributed to the creation of this masterpiece of a world. Read on for the latest from Bruce Straley on The Last of Us.
The Last of Us video games record spike in sales
It's needless to mention how the success of The Last of Us HBO series strikes a chord with video gamers. As per the latest reports, sales in The Last of Us Part I recorded a staggering 238% rise last week in the UK. This is the PlayStation 3 game from 2011 that started it all. The PlayStation 4 version of the game on the other hand- The Last of Us: Remastered has recorded a 322% rise in sales. Clearly these boosts are the doing of The Last of Us HBO series which has led the world to “rediscover” the game in ways.
TLOU Director Bruce Straley not credited in the HBO series
On that note, it is worth mentioning that Bruce Straley, the director of the PlayStation 3 game has not been credited by HBO for the series.At the same time, co-director and writer Neil Druckman, can be seen as co-creator and executive producer to the series. Straley has expressed his disappointment, while harping on the “argument for unionization” and how it would help “protect creators”.
Bruce Straley said in a statement to Los Angeles Times- “It’s an argument for unionization that someone who was part of the co-creation of that world and those characters isn’t getting a credit or a nickel for the work they put into it”. He went on to add that “Maybe we need unions in the video game industry to be able to protect creators.”
Straley left The Last of Us developers Naughty Dog, sometime after the launch of 2016’s uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Nonetheless, we cannot disregard his contribution as a co-creator of the TLOU world that is now the source material of a hit HBO series. Neil Druckman, on the other hand, is currently the president of Naughty Dog, and is a name often associated with creations like The Last of Us and Uncharted.
Regardless, Straley’s comment draws our attention to one of the burning arguments plaguing the video game creation industry- of its unionization. A number of studios and their workers have raised demands of unionization, including Bethesda, Activision Blizzard and Bungie. As video games get introduced to a much larger audience than the population of gamers, these issues become even more relevant.