'It was controversial internally too' Former Naughty Dog dev says the studio was 'split' on The Last of Us Part 2's most divisive death

Date:
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:23:36 +0000

Description:
Former Naughty Dog dev says there was division within the studio about The Last of Us Part 2's controversial death.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Former Naughty Dog artist Heather Cerlan revealed that the controversial death in The Last of Us Part 2 was divisive internally Cerlan says the studio was "split" on the decision
The death was hugely controversial among fans back in 2020 Disclaimer
Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Part 2 A former Naughty Dog developer has revealed that the controversial death in The Last of Us Part 2 was also a divisive element within the studio. If you've played The Last of Us sequel, you'll know that Joel Miller, the protagonist of the first game, is brutally killed by Abby Anderson in an act of revenge at the beginning of the story.
At the time of the game's release in 2020, Joel's death caused a huge uproar among fans, with many hating the decision. Others praised the bold move for subverting expectations and delivering one hell of an emotional journey for Ellie. Article continues below You may like Former Xbox exec thinks Naughty Dog's decision to cancel the 80% completed The Last of Us Online 'was the right call', but it shouldn't have greenlit it in the first place 'The ambition was there, but the realistic upfront planning wasn't', she says 'There's a whole congregation of that kind of person' Former The Last of Us dev says Neil Druckmann told him that 'several people' alongside Ellie were immune in the world of the post-apocalyptic game The Last of Us Online director reveals Naughty Dog had to choose between canceling the '80%' completed game and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet 'It was soul crushing. To find out that it was getting canceled 24 hours before it was announced' publicly

Now, in a lengthy interview with Kiwi Talkz , Heather Cerlan, who worked as
an artist on The Last of Us , The Last of Us Part 2 , Uncharted 4 , and The Lost Legacy , confirmed that the death was just as controversial at Naughty Dog as it was among fans.

"Oh yeah, most of the studio was like, 'really you're going to?...'", Cerlan said, before trailing off to avoid spoilers. #207 - Heather Cerlan Interview On Naughty Dog, Bethesda, Last Of Us, Hawthorn, Creation Engine - YouTube Watch On "I think the studio was pretty split on like, the outcome of what happens," she continued. "Yes, absolutely. It was controversial internally, too."

Joel's death also leaked ahead of the game's official release, which led to online abuse and death threats being sent to Abby's actress, Laura Bailey,
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Bailey later opened up about the abuse she received in Grounded II: Making
The Last of Us Part 2 .

"Every time I went online, that's all I saw. Death threats and threats of violence, and the worst of it, the really hardcore death threats got past along and they [the police] made sure they werent anyone who lived close by," Bailey said at the time.

"They were threatening my son, who was born during all of it, and yeah, it
was rough. But, you know, more than anything, it just kind of like taught me to keep a distance." What to read next The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann teases a 'few stops that remain on the road ahead' of the beloved Naughty Dog series Bridgerton season 4 part 2 death was the 'right decision' according to star Crimson Desert Kliff actor reveals his character changed a lot during development and he had to push Pearl Abyss for clarity 'I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing about story and character as much as I could'

Naughty Dog is currently working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet . The star of the game, Tati Gabrielle, shared in an interview last year that she was aware of the hate The Last of Us: Part 2 cast members, like Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson, and Troy Baker, received back in 2020, and that director Neil Druckmann had been preparing her for a similar situation .

"Neil's been bootcamp-ing me," Gabrielle said. "I know Troy's experience, I know Ashley's experience I know Laura Bailey's experience.

"I got a lot of love, but there was a lot of hate over me being a woman, me being a woman of color, me having my head shaved, all these things that I didn't even actually initially see I'm out of the social media zeitgeist for that reason but once I did, Neil was like, 'Ignore it. No matter what, me
and you, we're going to make something beautiful. We're going to make something that we're proud of.'" Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us
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