'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

Gaming '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 News By Demi Williams published 28 April 2026 It wasn't just fans who were torn on the decision When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Sony/Naughty Dog) 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 internallyCerlan says the studio was "split" on the decisionThe 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, and her new-born son. window.sliceComponents = window.sliceComponents || {}; externalsScriptLoaded.then(() => { window.reliablePageLoad.then(() => { var componentContainer = document.querySelector("#slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-YNGg3fhmhFfBjLV2SphyjZ"); if (componentContainer) { var data = {"layout":"inbodyContent","header":"Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox","tagline":"Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.","formFooterText":"By submitting your…

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