The video game industry rarely gives insight into how it makes games, but sometimes, we are lucky enough to receive that peak behind the curtain. Naughty Dog has released a trailer for Grounded 2, a documentary on The Last of Us Part 2 (seen below). The name of the doc comes from a behind-the-scenes deep-dive it delivered for Part 1 nine years ago.
The trailer opens with the classic music composed by the game’s music mastermind, Gustavo Santaolalla, noting that it began filming the behind-the-scenes look in 2016. Due to COVID-19, it had to be scrapped, but it has returned to give fans a look at the award-winning sequel. We see how the team rendered the world and characters, hear devs like the notable Neil Druckmann, and how the devs went about making a sequel to one of its most cherished games.
Naughty Dog Uncovers Nearly Lost Documentary on The Last of Us Part 2
The Last of Us Part 2 documentary does not give an exact release date. The studio wrote that it “will be available on YouTube and as part of a post-launch update” for the remastered edition, which arrives on January 19. The description of the trailer tells fans to “stay tuned to Naughty Dog’s official social accounts for details on when to expect the full documentary.”
It has been a big week of news for the post-apocalyptic franchise. The TV series from HBO has added multiple new actors as the adaptation from Craig Mazin takes on the second game. The latest additions to join Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are Young Mazino as Jesse, Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, and Isabela Merced as Dina.
There will be a lot to tackle for The Last of Us Part 2 documentary. Grounded 2 will cover more than just the game’s development, like rendering characters and developing new gameplay mechanics like the enhanced crafting system and the ability to jump. Leaks hit the sequel before release, which spoiled a major moment in the first act. It will also cover how the pandemic hit the team. It is uncertain how much of the backlash and divisive nature of TLOU2 will be covered, which was swarmed by toxicity and harassment toward the devs through the leaks and its eventual release.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered arrived with new content, including a roguelike mode, on January 19. The second season of the HBO series arrives in 2025.