Could The Last of Us 2 Be A Prequel Starring Ellie’s Mother?

More evidence that the Last of Us 2 easter egg in Uncharted 4 could be more than just an easter egg.

[Thatguy-310]

I hope not. I truly want the progress of the story to follow Ellie. She's the cure to all this I doubt they'll just let her go like that. Maybe a flashback segment that involves the pregnant mom can come to play at some part of the story.

[gameseveryday]

I will take a prequel over a direct sequel. It will be interesting to see the struggles of Marlene and Anna IF Naughty Dog decide to go in that direction.

[-Foxtrot]

Why though, we kind of know the story roughly and know how things play out

Ellies pregnant mother is not going to loose the baby (obviously) and we know she dies.

Marlene survives but we know her fate

There's nothing in a prequel which is as grapping as in the first game since Ellie and Joel's fate was up in the air for the entire game, hell even other characters. I didn't think Tess would get killed off so early but she did.

Prequels are great for side projects or stuff used in flashbacks for the sequel but games like this need a direct sequel so it can continue that tension the first game give us. Knowing roughly how things play out is not interesting.

[Deadpooled]

I thought the left behind dlc was kind of like a prequel by itself?

[Nitrowolf2]

I'm fine with no prequel, it wears off what makes a game special IMO, kind of like God of War with ascension where you knew the story and it was hard to get into it knowing where it goes. I like the suspense of not knowing

I'll be okay with flashback events, but would like to see the story either continue where it left off or start fresh with new characters

[Erik7357]

Maybe it does follow Ellie and skips 15 years and now she's pregnant?

[freshslicepizza]

this is an easy way to keep a game that sold very well into a franchise. we all know that most games which sell well will try and continue one way or another.

[bloop]

I'm not hoping for a prequel anyway. Ellie is the key to saving humanity. If she's not one of the leading characters then the story isn't going to hold as much weight as the first. Plus, the way it ended, I really want to see what happens next for both Ellie and Joel. Tommy knows about her immunity so I'm sure the whole community is aware of all the events and why they were trying to reach the fireflies. I want it to pick up exactly where it left off. Will everyone find out about what happened in the hospital? Will the community want to forcefully take Ellie and hand her back over to the fireflies for a cure? Will Ellie go on the run alone if she finds out the truth about what Joel did? The first one ended perfectly for setting up a sequel. I'd much rather they continue their story than start a new one.

[-Foxtrot]

Same I always thought they would do direct sequels and transistion control of Joel to Ellie

Last of Us - Play mostly as Joel, little bit of Ellie

Last of Us 2 - Half and half. Ellie is a few years older

Last of Us 3 - Play mostly as Ellie in her late 20s, little bit of a much older Joel until he dies

Last of Us 4 - Adult Ellie in her 30s

[Golden_Mud]

Honestly, I don't think Naughty Dogs' franchise this generation will be The Last of Us, so TLoU will just be a secondary franchise (something new to Naughty Dogs as they get bigger as a team).

[DigitalRaptor]

Not gonna lie, I'm not keen on that approach this series. The characters and their motivations are key, but after FOUR games, I feel they would be worn out, with the same post-apocalyptic backdrop and intentions to survive. I would rather TLoU 2 skip many years (thinking a decade) with Ellie grown up, Joel as an old man who can no longer stay on the more dangerous path, and a bunch of new characters who assist and challenge Ellie's personality and her journey. Or it be a prequel with brand new characters and a story that very loosely connects to the first game.

I think pegging the next game as a prequel with Ellie's mother backs them into a corner too closely. It's like with Left Behind, we kinda already knew what happened to that character. I think a prequel should have brand new characters for us to care about, but connected enough to feel like a true follow up.

[-Foxtrot]

"with the same post-apocalyptic backdrop and intentions to survive"

In that kind of world the way people survive keeps changing over time. Look at the Walking Dead earlier seasons compared to now.

People rebuild or try to, find new places to scavenge and the like

Besides we don't know what other places look like in the world with the post apocalyptic setting. What if Ellie and Joel continue to move around, it's why most of the chapters in the first game felt fresh because they were always on the move.

I don't know how they would fit this in story wise but what if they went to England or France, the way things played out in those countries would be different from back home. New enemies might have mutated/evolved their to give more enemy variety

Point is I could see the game getting up the 4th game, just like Uncharted. If not 4 then definitely 3 to close the trilogy

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

It would be cool if they make a prequel with Ellie's mom. They could make it on what happened between the time the outbreak started with Joel's daughter dying and the 20 years that we skipped forward to in the Last of US. I mean it's the Last of Us, they can add backstory, do whatever and it's legendary. Beside if they make a prequel with Ellie's mom, we know that eventually part 3 will return to Ellie in a sequel, so I'm all for whatever as long as they expand on the Last of Us universe, it will be epic. They can make 3 or 4 more sequels and make it one of the biggest franchises ever in the history of both video games and movies.

[-Foxtrot]

Then if that's the case and you want to explore the 20 year gap then just do a prequel with Joel and Tommy with the things they did

Look prequel stuff should be left as comics or DLC, not full games unless it's by another studio

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

It's cool Foxtrot, I liked your comment also. I don't think it will be that way, but it would be super positive to just keep going with Ellie long into the future and stuff like that. But that would be too feel good to be The Last of Us, but I wouldn't mind, since I really like Ellie. I'll be happy as long as they expand of the Last of Us universe, and we know that Ellie will be involved in some way, she's too important to the story not to be.

[Get_A_Job_Foxtrot]

@FoxTrot:
Just when I thought your terrible ideas couldn't get any worse lol. For someone who spends 24/7 on a game site you'd think that you would learn from actual good games. Don't quit your day job. Oh wait...you ain't got no damn job, Tommy!

[-Foxtrot]

@AvaDevine

Awwwwww is someone having a bad day *pinches cheek*

Someone needs their bean flicked.

[kraenk12]

She's not a cure. Seems you didn't pay attention to the notes in the game. There were several immune before her and all died without finding a cure.

[Livecustoms]

Did the game ever talk about Ellie's mum because as far as i can remember it never did ? So i would definitely be interested to find out what happened with her parents.
Also i would love to find out how she became 'immune' whether she was born with it or not.

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

How do you delete comments?

[BlakHavoc]

As far as I remember Marlene(I think was her name) told Ellie that she promised her mother she'd take care of her

[Livecustoms]

Oh yer i remember that, it's still something they can explore.

[Cy]

Honestly, I hope this game never gets made. Last of Us was a great, stand alone story and trying to add to it or go back and explore a backstory that doesn't need to be explored would just lessen it. Leave this game alone and focus on a new IP.

[Skankinruby]

You get scolded for saying that around here, but I completely agree. The way they ended the first one was so brilliant and a huge reason it was such an amazing game. Continuing the Joel and Ellie story any further would just put a damper on that.

[Imalwaysright]

Why? don't you trust ND to pull it off?

The way I see it, ND created some of the best characters in gaming in TloU. I would be disappointed if TloU 2 wasn't a follow up of Ellie and Joel's story.

[Skankinruby]

@Imalwaysright that's a harsh question lol. Of course I trust naughty dog, their last 2 games will be remembered as some of the greatest in history. But the last of us is the gone with the wind of video games. Being open ended is what made it so great and a sequel doesn't make sense. Of course I'll buy it day one, get the collectors edition and even buy another ps4 if the make a special edition console. But it's just a very risky move.

[robtion]

Yep. I absolutely love The Last of Us but would like an new ip rather than a sequel to be honest. Not everything has to be a franchise. I do realise this is not the popular opinion though and of course I will play anything that ND puts out.

[kraenk12]

I agree. The first game is perfect as it is. If they even make a sequel it should feature a new set of characters imho.

[raWfodog]

I was also thinking almost the same thing way before talks about a sequel became a serious thing. If the sequel/prequel fails to live up to (or surpass) the original, I feel that may somehow put a damper on the franchise. But if anyone can continue a great story, it's ND.

[BlakHavoc]

I respect your opinion but I don't understand it. The game has plenty to expand upon and while the story was magnificent its not like ND wouldn't be able to tell a better one. They improve with each game they make so imo a sequel would be even better than the original. And honestly you're dreaming if you think Sony isn't pressuring ND a little to make a sequel to an IP that sold over 7 million copies lol. No way this game isn't coming...

[Cy]

It's a contained story that doesn't need to be expanded on. Can it be? Yeah, pretty much anything CAN be, but the game served its purpose. It explored the themes it wanted to, told the story it wanted to, and wrapped everything up the best way it could. Any follow up with Joel and Ellie (or god forbid just an adult Ellie because that would miss the point of her character entirely) would just diminish what the original did, and going back and doing a prequel would be pointless because nothing about what happened before the end of the world (or right after) actually matters unless it's part of the personal backstory of a character. Last of Us, right now, has integrity in its story. And I'd prefer it to stay that way.

As for the pressuring thing, you're probably right, sadly. But I'd hope by this point Sony would realize they can sell something on the Naughty Dog name alone. They don't need sequels, they just need ND to make games.

[BlakHavoc]

@CY

I think you're focused on TLOU too much honestly, I think a sequel could exist without taking the integrity or purposeout of the original. Ellies character isn't confined to what she was in the first game as characters are known to evolve over sequels. Id be very interested in who she is in her teen or young adult years. She went through a crap ton in the original so I think a somewhat hardened and wise Ellie in a sequel would great. One that has a shaky relationship with Joel for obvious reasons but one thats learned his harsh ways from years of traveling with him. Should she forfeit her life knowing she's the cure or does she remain? Introduce a new character or two that make that choice difficult for her idk lol. I'm just saying there's alot to be explored, the original story had its own dynamic and it would remain that way, just cause its Joel and Ellie doesn't mean you can't tell another story that explores and goes in depth on another side of them

[kneon]

It depends on which backstory. I think the better back story to explore is Joel and Tommy and what happened during those 20 years before TLOU. Something big happened that drove them apart but it's never explained.

[BlakHavoc]

Please no, I have no interest in who her mother was. Either follow Joel and Ellie again or introduce new characters.

[Kreisen]

Agreed, its just so random lol.

[migh_and_highty]

Joel and Ellie's story is done, nd know they don't need to sequel or prequel it. Their story is just one of likely millions of stories in the universe of TLOU, ND could go anywhere for TLOU2.. Japan, UK, somewhere else in America perhaps.

[Kalebninja]

Joel and Ellie's story just started, ND always focuses on the same main characters for at least a trilogy.

[migh_and_highty]

always? They've only made 4 series upto now. What's left of Joel and Ellie, because as far as we know they're in Joel's brothers place and what's left? Just a standard survival story of surviving waves of attackers? That's a pretty boring story for ND to tell. Their story is over, face it

[kraenk12]

Nah. Their story ended perfectly.

[Imalwaysright]

There isn't a "they lived happily ever after" in an universe like the one from TLoU especially for a character like Ellie.

[BlakHavoc]

Nah their story can be expanded on, for one Joel basically said F humanity I'm going to save this girl I've become fond of because I can't bare losing another daughter. The ending kind of hints at Ellie knowing but I have a feeling she doesn't really know what he did so they can go in so many directions with that. If they do decide to go away from Joel and Ellie id love a game dedicated to a few members of the fireflies and their pursuit of a cure(Ellie). Maybe at the end have them finally find her.

[Zorkaz]

However much a prequel might be interesting, not knowing what happened after the first one tore a frikkin' hole through my soul. I would just really like to find out what happens next! However telling me isn't necessarily the right thing to do, even though it might give me some peace. I mean the fact it could torture you emotionally so much was one of the reasons it was such an amazing game to start with ...

[Movefasta1993]

I want an older Ellie,but not too old,i don't want to play with an old man Joel. The world ishuge,they could make a new character, and his quest is to hunt down Ellie for the cure.Someone who is related to Marlene and he's taken over the flies.But whatever,i trust naughty dog with this game.

[Pancit_Canton]

I find it disturbing that of all the pictures of Ellie on the internet, you just have to use the one that has her mouth open.

Rashid Sayed is probably one sick guy or Gamingbolt in general.

[goldwyncq]

Why? Did the picture trigger some kind of a forbidden urge from you?

If so, then you're the sick one.

[Pancit_Canton]

You must be blind (like your avatar) to find it remotely funny. I don't see the connection between the tasteless pic and article at all. You must be in the same league as gamingbolt, if you don't find it disturbing.

[goldwyncq]

You finding offense in an innocuous pic tells more about you than it does about gamingbolt.

You perv.

[DrJones]

Seriously it looks like she is being boned. Why pick this picture if not for hits.

[goldwyncq]

@ DrJones

She's just yawning you shameless pervert.

Good grief, why does everything have to be sexual nowadays?

[Pancit_Canton]

@goldwyncq

Jared Fogle is that you? nvm

[opinionated]

It's a yawn bro... It's the most fitting picture of all.

[DrJones]

Why is a yawn fitting?

[opinionated]

@DrJones
Because the game is so boring. Especially the DLC, what a waste of time and money.

[kevnb]

It could be, but it also might not be.

[Avalanche]

Games like this that require an emotional connection should not have prequels.

we all know ellie's mom is no longer alive.

the ending to this game will see the main character die. i do not want to play a game where i know the end result before i purchase it.

[EazyC]

I hope they don't continue after TLoU 1, because to me it was self-contained, and the ambiguity of the ending was what made it so great. Like Blade Runner (soon to not-be the case with the sequel), No Country for Old Men or Lost in Translation, the unclosed ending makes it a masterpiece.

[The_Sage]

I don't want a prequel or a sequel. A completely separate story in the same universe, or nothing at all.

[Sweetbrandigirl]

Where is this poster at in Uncharted 4 ?

[Relientk77]

The Last of Us 2 reveal at E3?

Maybe not it might be too early

[danny818]

i think a teaser would be expected atleast just like 343 did with Halo 5 when X1 launched. They have 2 teams. UC4 was just finished so i expect them to fully be in development with TLOU2. They should have atleast a teaser for us at E3.

[BlakHavoc]

Id love a teaser trailer but I doubt it'll happen, and certainly don't expect it.

[Tdmd]

I hope not: TLoU deserves better than a prequel. Heck, it can do much better than a prequel. Its story, its theme, its setting allows for a lot of creative ways to explore it. A prequel would be just lazy thinking.

[Gamist2dot0]

I'd like the story on Joel's brother Tommy and his wife. Maybe include a DLC of Bill's back story.

[jb227]

I agree...I really liked Tommy as a character so I'd definitely like to see more of him, I'd like to see more of the continent, different unique settings like Arizona, Kentucky & maybe even Mexico (short hop from where they started) just to see that beautiful art direction in new locales....I'd also love to see some of that early time in the infection shown.

Honestly though I have no worries, whatever ND comes up with will no doubt be infinitely better than anything I could've speculated.

Oh, also they've gotta find a way to include Rafe from UC4's voice actor in TLOU2, I think he's the next Troy Baker or Nolan North in the making...he did so much with relatively little screen time in UC4, and he plays a heckuva villain...maybe he can lead up a militia or a rogue group of Fireflies

[Gamist2dot0]

Totally! We shouldn't worry about the story when it comes to ND games. If they decided to make Joel and Ellie as the main characters for the sequal then I'm all for it. I trust ND.
20 years is a lot so it would be nice to know what happened to Tommy and his edgy wife during those years. Something traumatic must have happened.

[sadsatan]

joel and ellie have a baby?

[persona4chie]

Why would we need a prequel?

[deadwiseman85]

Or it could be ellie. I know that she was gay but something could have happened to her along the way. After all the last of us was very dark

[kraenk12]

She wasn't even really gay or at least that wasn't the statement. She just felt love for the first time and it happened to be a girl.

[opinionated]

Do you guys really want "left behind 2"? I'm not a personal fan of TLOU but I can still see why people like it. I think we can all agree that left behind was utter garbage though, right?

[kraenk12]

Left behind was one of the best DLCs in gaming history, so no!

[opinionated]

You're fuckin with me...

[Austin48]

I'm fine with anyway they take the story because they never fail me.

[saimcheeda]

I think a story focusing on new characters in the same world will be far more interesting. Maybe like a brother story!

[DafunkyRebel]

The heck did you get this picture from, rule34?

[WizzroSupreme]

New characters. All new part of the country or the world. Leave Ellie and Joel's fates up to the power of our imaginations. Show us how the last of humanity survived elsewhere. Do something new like The Last of Us did so beautifully.

[daynnight365]

That would be azz imo

[Ozmoses]

Actually it could be Ellie... mask and everything... when you add a pregnancy into account it would make sense for her to be overly cautious so her wearing a mask even though she doesn't need it would be more for the baby than for her... (this is reasoning based on my experience of knowing pregnant woman and seeing how woman react during their first birth)

first time mothers will go GERM SPASTIC on people trying to protect their little baby from every contagion in the damn world... they will go absolutely nuts... I've witnessed it first hand when I picked up a binky for a baby that dropped it on the floor... the mother just started screaming at me for touching the binky or whatever... the kid was bawling his eyes out because it fell and just wanted it back.. I was only trying to help and instead got completely slammed.

[Kaneki-Ken]

I prefer a prequel with Joel and his brother.

[PixelOmen]

I like how she's yawning in the thumbnail, because that's how I would feel about another Last of Us game. I hope they make something new instead, and hopefully something that's not a cover shooter.

[dmonee]

I'm not going to draw assumptions. My hope is that The Last of Us 2 gets a surprise announcement at E3 this year. The time seems right, if you look at how many years between Naughty Dog projects. I could give a rats F'k who is in the concept photo. Just take my money Naughty Dog!

[ABeastNamedTariq]

All this shows is that none of these commenters should be writers for ND lol

[Fishy Fingers]

Could be Ellie. The gas mask maybe precautionary for the baby?

[showtimefolks]

no. if one thing ND do in all their games it's to build a new IP than use the characters to further expand

SPOILER ALERT: SERIOUSLY PLAY IT ONE OF THE BEST GAMES EVER

the first game didn't end on a happy note
there was no cure
the universe was still a mess

i think the last of us 2 is very real and will come out fall 2017. i think it will be a direct sequel on what happened after the first game

[JimmyDM90]

Prequels are pointless and restrictive. The outcomes of a story following Ellie's mom are very limited since we've already seen the aftermath. We know she will give birth to Ellie, befriend the fireflies and die. Most of the suspense is lost because we know that no matter what she survives in the game, she's going to be killed. Presumably at the end of the game. If they're doing another TLoU I'd much rather see a sequel or a story that follows an entirely new set of characters in the same universe.

[objdadon]

Lol @ people talking about "i hope not." It doesn't matter to me, all i know is that it will be another naughty dog masterpiece as usual because naughty dog is the only developer besides Rockstar that never let's me down.

[milohighclub]

i reckon the game should start with Joel n Ellie getting ambushed playing as Joel. in the cut-scene you could pull on the heart strings with Joel's death (maybe getting bit and killing himself) Ellie is saved by some dude she falls for spend a bit of time introducing this guy whilst looking for somewhere to keep safe(playing as Ellie) then a cute cut scene of them about to do it or something. a few chapters later he gets infected and Ellie kills him. Ellie is left pregnant. the rest of the game is her trying to locate and get to a hospital that in some distant state. as the game progresses she gets more and more pregnant (on hard you have less health the more pregnant she gets) obvs she now needs a gas mask as she is the first immune so she doesn't know if the baby will be or not. with flashbacks to Ellie's mum pregnant. (could be triggered when you find certain collectables that remind Ellie of her mother, this way it is optional story) the game ends giving birth but never shows the child. just cuts out to The Last Of Us. leaving it open for a third. which should be Ellie more grown with a 10yr old child and she's trying to keep it alive or something whilst trying to survive. trilogy done. leave IP til ps5/6 then new characters for a new trilogy.

[Gears_President]

I don't want a prequel honestly. Can they actually make a cure or or a vaccine? We all know that the longer something is infected the more mutated it becomes. How can they fight with a shortage of ammunition? Are their guns still powerful enough stop the most mutated enemies? I want to know.

[SuperbVillain]

that would be whack....to me, some games are better off ending after one game....i mean that in a good way

[objdadon]

Not a naughty dog game

[efv64064]

my classmate's mother-in-law makes $78 hourly on the computer . She has been out of work for 6 months but last month her check was $17581 just working on the computer for a few hours. view website
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[NotEvenMyFinalForm]

Please no prequels. I hate playing games (and watching movies) I already know how they'll end.

[bigbri76]

Here's my take...that poster is obviously for a comic given the dark horse logo. The pregnant women is Ellie's mom. Now the title "American Daughters" that's plural folks, meaning she's having twins. I believe that the comic will be the setup for the next game which will be a sequel. Ellie, now a bit older, finds out she has a sister out there and begins her journey to find the only family she has left.

[masterfox]

god I hope not!, I'm had it with prequels!

[Get_A_Job_Foxtrot]

I feel like bringing back Ellie (as much as I love her and Joel) would cheapen the impact of the ending of the first game. Bringing them back would be like continuing the Sopranos after it's eerie ending. The fact that I don't know what her fate will be is kind of creepy. Especially since that Dam/Compound Tommy was living in was constantly under attack by bandits so we can't be sure of how long they can keep that up. Bringing her back would only satisfy those who lack the imagination to appreciate a good, open ended, relatively doomed (at least humanity is doomed) ending like the first game had. It is a beautiful tragedy. Why does everyone need a conclusive "ending", especially a happy one? Life goes on, and not everyone who sets out to acomplish a goal willl be sucessful. That is the case for the goal in the last game. The mission failed, but it was on JOEL's terms, and he gained a daughter from it. Ellie wanted to save the world, but was robbed from doing it. This kind of tragic ending fits the doomed atmosphere of their world.

A prequel would be interesting. Plus there are tons of other people's stories who could be told. Like Ish, Marlene, etc. Or just brand new characters. Joel isn't the only one who lost family.

[-Foxtrot]

Terrible idea. So bad. Can't breathe. Why.

...Hypocrite

[Get_A_Job_Foxtrot]

Get a job loser. 24/7 on n4g

[jorellpogi]

Whatever the plot may be, TLOU 2 will be a definite must buy for me.

[fitfox]

they may do a flashback sequence

[Majister-Ludi]

Would prefer a prequel about Joel honestly if we aren't getting a new character.

[zaz12]

I thought n4g is doing an articles about blowjobs

[LoveSpuds]

I love the Last of Us but the Joel and Ellie story arc was perfect in every way, I would prefer it if these characters were left out of any sequel personally, it was that ending that made the game so special.

I would love to play sequel after sequel in this universe though, I would love to experience this universe in other regions though and definately in other parts of the world. Imagine seeing how the outbreak had affected the UK or western Europe. Maybe even Africa or China, something really different would be so cool.

[guyjean]

We need both a prequel and a sequel.

[mochachino]

I'm more curious about what happened between Joel and his brother before they went their different ways.

[mastemikegee]

When i first saw this i thought 'Ellie is all grown up and pregnant'. sure, she doesn't NEED the mask but would she go around without it? Riskin showing off to strangers that she's different? She wouldn't wanna risk any unwanted attention.... especially now that she's pregnant. Right? Could still be possible that it's her!

[SpinalRemains138]

I look forward to which ever direction they choose. To me it is about the universe and the characters. I'm sure whichever direction they go, that we will love it.

[Sweetbrandigirl]

I'd still like to see more of the twenty years between when Sarah was killed and when we see Joel in Boston. I'd also like to see what want down between Joel and Tommy. I'd also like to see more of Frank and Bill. I'd also like to see some of grown up Ellie kicking ass.

[quent]

Anyone else se joel as the bad guy ?, that ending..., but what a journey it was up until that point.

[ziggurcat]

I actually want the next iteration to be about a completely different group of individuals.

[KentBenMei]

Dat thumbnail.

Btw, I wish there were more spinoffs these days. It was common back in th old days. I'd like to see a Last of Us Tactical RPG for Vita.