The Last of Us: Part 2 was one of the most highly anticipated game sequels of all time. The game released earlier this year to great critical success from reviewers, but proved to be divisive with the fan base due to a number of controversial story elements.
But the game was a huge commercial hit, selling millions of copies in its first three days alone.
And apparently, we might not be done with Ellie’s story just yet.
A tease from Geoff Keighley, host of The Game Awards, has created a huge speculation boom around the franchise.
It all started when The Last of Us: Part 2 composer, Gustavo Santaolalla, tweeted his heartfelt thanks after it was announced that the game had been nominated for a whopping nine awards at the annual show, including the coveted Game of The year award. That’s the most nominations given to any game this year.
He then goes on to make a claim that this is, “just the beginning.”
“Happy and grateful!” Santaolalla said in the tweet. “The Last of Us: Part 2 nominated by The Game Awards in nine categories, among them Best Score and Music. Sign in to vote! Thanks Naughty Dog and Neil Druckmann for inviting me to this adventure. It’s just the beginning!”
While the comment seemed innocent enough, Keighley chimed in soon after, saying “Just the beginning…..” drawing extra attention to that little tease, which leads many to believe there’s something happening.
Keighley has a bit of a reputation for creating speculation. This tends to ramp up a lot right before The Game Awards. Sometimes there’s a payoff, and sometimes there isn’t.
Either way, The Game Awards typically include a series of announcements and new trailers for upcoming titles, so there’s a lot to unpack here.
As of now, the host has not offered up clarification to his remarks, and it’s unlikely we’re going to get any. Speculation of this sort can only be good for The Game Awards and its ratings.
So, what could this have been referring to?
It has already been hinted at that The Last of Us: Part 2 will eventually be getting a multiplayer update, so it’s possible that the announcement of this feature could be forthcoming.
Also possible, though less likely, could be the announcement of a stand alone DLC story. The original The Last of Us game had a whole side story called Left Behind, which told the story of Ellie both before and during the events of the game. While there has been no hints of such a story coming for The Last of Us: Part 2, you should never say never.
It also could be a nod to the upcoming HBO television series, which Santaolalla has been brought on to write the score for.
