This article has MAJOR SPOILERS for The Last of Us Series

With the recent release of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, fans have discovered that Naughty Dog had initially planned to kill Abby Anderson, the game's second protagonist. The game was PlayStation’s first exclusive of 2024 and was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews, with it currently sitting at a 91 Metacritic score.

Some gamers thought it was too early to have a remaster of a game originally released in 2020, prompting Director Matthew Gallant to address The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered criticism. According to Gallant, the remaster is a perfect way for newcomers to experience the title as it has a host of new features that are only possible thanks to the PS5’s hardware. Other features that were included in the game are modes such as a roguelike survival and speedrun option, as well as Lost Levels, which are content that did not make it into the original. Additionally, the title also has a Director’s Commentary with Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker, and Laura Bailey.

tlous part 2 remastered cover art.
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In this The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered Director’s Commentary, Druckmann revealed that Naughty Dog originally planned for Ellie to kill Abby during their final showdown on the Santa Barbara beach. A video posted by Naughty Dog Central on Twitter showcases the ending scene of the game, where Druckmann comments that the studio had planned for Lev, one of the Seraphite siblings, to die in addition to his sister Yara, which meant that Ellie would face Abby alone on the beach. The revelation shocked Bailey, Abby’s voice actress, who, after hearing about the originally planned ending, said that it was “rough.”

According to Halley Gross, the game’s narrative lead, the official ending was imperative in ensuring that Ellie retained some of her humanity as the kid that “Joel helped shape.” Gross went on to say that by having Ellie forgive Abby, that gesture is meant to give players the hope that she hasn’t fully succumbed to her desire for revenge.

While The Last of Us Part 2's ending was divisive, it gives some insight into why Naughty Dog chose this route. It is one that fits with the overarching narrative that the game presented, showing that revenge only starts a never-ending violent cycle that will continue unless someone, in this case, Ellie, has the courage to stop. While Abby is not a fan-favorite character for most The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered players, her role in the game shows just how easy it is to fall down that slippery slope of revenge.