Naughty Dog marketed the game through video trailers and press demonstrations, announcing specific details about the game as development continued. Naughty Dog missed the original release date, delaying the game for further polishing. The Last of Us was officially announced in 2011 it was heavily promoted and widely anticipated. Naughty Dog overhauled their game engine for some elements, particularly lighting and animations. A similar direction was taken by the art department, whose designs influenced other elements of development. In order to achieve the best work possible, the sound department began working early on the sound of the Infected. Naughty Dog took a similar minimalist approach to other elements of the game, including the action, sound design, and art design. Known for his minimalist approach to composing, Santaolalla was contacted early in development. The Last of Us features an original score composed by Argentine musician Gustavo Santaolalla.

Various other characters were influenced by the story progression, ultimately becoming completely different from the initial vision. The relationship between Joel and Ellie was the central focus of the game, and all other elements were developed around it. Providing both the voice and motion capture of the characters, Baker and Johnson assisted the team to develop the characters and help refine the story. The team chose Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson to portray Joel and Ellie, respectively. Though Ellie was initially intended to be Joel's daughter, the team found this to be too limiting in terms of further character development.

Set 20 years after the outbreak has destroyed much of civilization, the game explores the possibility of the fungi infecting humans. Creative director Neil Druckmann was inspired to include the Infected as a main enemy in the game after discovering the Cordyceps fungi. In the game, players assume control of Joel, a middle-aged smuggler tasked with escorting a 14-year-old girl named Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States in an attempt to create a potential cure against the world-ending infection to which Ellie is immune. The three-year development, led by studio Naughty Dog, was kept secret for the majority of development. Sony Computer Entertainment published The Last of Us for PlayStation 3 on June 14, 2013. The development of The Last of Us, an action-adventure game, began after Uncharted 2: Among Thieves ' release in October 2009. Some developers at Naughty Dog accepting Game of the Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards.

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