The scripts include the original game, The Last of Us Part II, and Left Behind
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The Last of Us is considered one of the greatest video games of all time, and the reasons go well beyond gameplay. The game set a high watermark for what video games could do narratively, and now, the award-winning scripts are being turned into a book.
Publisher Dark Horse will release The Last of Us: Part I and Part II Scripts in conjunction with Naughty Dog, the game’s developer. The over 600-page book compiles scripts from the original two games, plus the standalone expansion, Left Behind. It’s available to preorder now, and will be released on Dec. 16.
preorder
The Last of Us: Part I and Part II Scripts
The book contains the scripts, written by Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross, as well as an art gallery by character concept artist Hyoung Nam. The book will feature a foreword by Joel’s voice actor, Troy Baker, and the block-printing along the book’s edge evokes the cordyceps from the game.
In a statement announcing the book’s release, Druckmann said, “At its beginning, The Last of Us was a series of philosophical themes—grief, unconditional love, the relentless pursuit of justice—waiting to be shaped into a story. These scripts, written during the games’ development, were meant to guide our team as we brought that world to life.”
The game was originally released for the PlayStation 3 in 2013, before being remastered for the PS4 and remade for the PS5. The Last of Us Part II was released on the PlayStation 4 in 2020 and on the PlayStation 5 in 2024.
The Last of Us inspired the hit HBO show of the same name, which was co-created by Druckmann and Craig Mazin. Druckmann was closely involved with Seasons One and Two, but announced that he would be stepping back creatively from the upcoming third season.
