The Last of Us Part 2 is one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games of all time as well as the fastest-selling platform exclusive. While its story faced some controversy, it is no doubt in the running for Game of the Year 2020. TLOU 2 used an insane amount of motion capture to capture the beautiful acting moments seen throughout the game, whether it be a boss fight with the Ratking or somber scenes shared between Ellie and Dina. The sequel took over six years to complete, employing the talent of over two thousand artists, developers, testers, specialists, and more.
RELATED: The Last of Us 2: Is The Firefly Outpost Real Or A Trap?
In total, The Last of Us Part 2’s production process involved 2,332 people, including 2,169 developers and 163 given thanks. The number doesn’t come from just Naughty Dog, which had approximately 350 people from its team join TLOU 2 production over the course of several years. 12 other studios were outsourced during the process in addition to Sony, some with small teams of just a few people, others with hundreds of their own members, and multiple specializing in motion capture technology. Even a real tattoo artist by the name of Natalie Hall was hired to design Ellie’s tattoo covering the bite scar. Many members were also given credit for TLOU 2’s amazing accessibility features.
This number of employees may not seem extreme for those not well-acquainted with the games development side of the industry. Many modern AAA games take between five hundred to one thousand to complete, with the latter being considered a large team. Ubisoft’s AAA games typically take approximately 600 employees to complete, and in much fewer years than The Last of Us 2 took to create.
According to ex-Kotaku employee Jason Schreier in multiple reports, Naughty Dog uses excessive “crunch time” schedules that include twelve-hour workdays for its employees, despite the massive number of names used to put the project together. Even though The Last of Us 2 was delayed following Covid-19’s work-from-home orders, the team was still forced to uphold this schedule for the months coming up on the game’s final release.
But the work and dedication from Sony, Naughty Dog, and the other 12 studios involved certainly didn’t go unnoticed. Many are calling TLOU2 the best game they’ve ever played and a “generation-defining masterpiece.” Despite some controversy lying within the The Last of Us 2’s violence, characters, and story direction, it’s one of the biggest contenders for Game of the Year, and no matter the outcome will continue to be a martyr and new standard for other studios going forward.
The Last of Us Part 2 is out now on PS4.
MORE: The Last of Us 2 Gets Behind the Scenes Look at One of the Best Encounters
Source: Moby Games
