The Last of Us 2: This is what Microsoft thinks about the game for PS4

The Last of Us 2: This is what Microsoft thinks about the game for PS4

The Last of Us 2

Microsoft has now also been involved in the ongoing legal battle between Epic and Apple. This has brought some internal information to light. Among other things, there is a review by employees Mike Mace and Jon Katz from the Xbox portfolio team for The Last of Us Part 2.

Especially the storytelling and the character design are highly rated by the Xbox team praised. However, they also have a few points of criticism. Among other things, the gun combat system is heavily criticized in all Naughty Dog titles.

"Naughty Dog doesn't seem to have decent gun combat in any of their games, and this isn't one Exception. Fortunately, it fits the theme of the game and encourages players to use stealth rather than seek confrontation. "

The inventory of the game couldn't convince Mike and Jon either:

"Changing weapons takes place entirely on the control pad and there is no quick change to previously used weapons. So you don't have one on your left hand extra thumb, you have to move your thumb off the analog stick to switch weapons. This was especially frustrating during hectic arguments. "

Recommended editorial content At this point you will find external content from [PLATTFORM]. To protect your personal data, external integrations are only displayed if you confirm this by clicking on "Load all external content": Load all external content I consent to external content being displayed to me. This means that personal data is transmitted to third-party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy . External content More on this in our data protection declaration. It also says that not every development team has the talent or the money to produce a game that is mutually supportive in all aspects. However, The Last of Us Part 2 (buy now 39.94 €) sets new standards for games of the current console generation despite the clear weaknesses in the gameplay.

The documents also show that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 should be console-exclusive for three months, with an expected release in the fourth quarter of 2021.





The Last of Us Remake Reportedly in Development, and Days Gone 2 Pitch Rejected

Sony studios are reportedly working on a remake of The Last of Us, while Sony Bend begins work on a new game after an unsuccessful 2019 pitch to make Days Gone 2.In a new Bloomberg report into dissatisfaction among Sony's lesser-known studios, sources say that a Last of Us remake codenamed T1X was started by Michael Mumbauer, the founder of Visual Arts Service Group (a Sony developer that traditionally assists development on PlayStation Studios' games).

Mumbauer apparently assembled a new, 30-strong development group and – after passing on the idea of a remake of the first Uncharted game – settled on a remake of 2013's The Last of Us. However, the team reportedly ran into trouble after Sony kept their existence a secret, and refused to offer extra budget. Head of PlayStation Studios Herman Hulst apparently deemed the project too expensive, and Mumbauer's team was moved to support development of The Last of Us 2.

Bloomberg's sources say that, after The Last of Us 2 was completed, Sony moved multiple Naughty Dog developers onto the T1X project, and the remake effectively became a Naughty Dog project. Mumbauer and other original developers have now left the company, but development on the remake is apparently continuing.

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As part of the same report, Bloomberg also says that Sony Bend pitched a sequel to Days Gone after the game's release in 2019, but was rejected. Sony then apparently moved Bend developers onto two Naughty Dog projects – a multiplayer game (presumably the standalone Last of Us multiplayer game) and a new Uncharted project (which has also been rumoured recently).

Some Bend staff reportedly left as a result of having their autonomy taken away, and leadership allegedly complained to Sony and asked to be moved off of Uncharted development. Sony Bend is now apparently working on a new original game, but it's not clear if this is Days Gone 2, a brand new game, or a return to another back-catalogue game.


Update: Eurogamer reports that its sources claim a Sony Bend-developed Uncharted game was planned to be a new chapter for the series, possibly a prequel, and was intended as something of a reboot for the series. It's unclear if those plans have persisted with Bend off of the project.

There had been many rumours about a new Sony team in San Diego, led by Mumbauer, with many assuming that it was working on a new Uncharted game after it said it was developing in an 'existing franchise'. However, it seems that referred to The Last of Us, with Uncharted's future seemingly remaining under Naughty Dog's control.

The timing for a remake of The Last of Us feels appropriate given the upcoming HBO series, which will reimagine the story of the first game, with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in lead roles.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.