The Last of Us Co-Creator Says Show Will Be Most Authentic Game Adaptation, Have Less Violence

The Last of Us’ TV show adaptation by HBO will be the “best, most authentic game adaptation” yet, according to the game’s co-creator Neil Druckmann.

In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Druckmann and screenwriter Craig Mazin talked about the hurdles that come with adapting a video game into a TV show, and how they plan to overcome them.

Mazin said games where roaming around the world and action is the main appeal are hard to replicate in a different medium. However, focusing on the game’s story and characters in an adaptation is the way to go. These elements are also what made The Last of Us a beloved game in the first place, making it a great pick for a TV show adaptation.

Druckmann also revealed that the show will have less violence. “We need a certain amount of action, or violence, that we could use for mechanics so you could connect with Joel and get into a flow state,” the Naughty Dog co-president told SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar). However, he added that in a “passive” medium like TV shows, the action and violence is not necessary. According to Druckmann, Mazin and HBO asked to remove all the violence except for the “very essential” from The Last of Us TV show adaptation. “That allowed the violence to have even more impact than in the game, because when you hold on showing the threat and you’re seeing people’s reaction to a threat, that makes it scarier. And when we do reveal the infected and the Clickers, you get to see what brought down humanity and why everyone is so scared,” he explained.

The Last of Us will release this January on HBO and Disney+ Hotstar.