The Last Of Us season 2 will have a 'lot more infected', says showrunner

Season one of HBO’s The Last of Us has now drawn to a close which means there’s only one thing left for us to do. It’s time to start looking ahead to season two, even if it is likely to be several years away.

Just think, between now and then, we’ve got The Last of Us’ 10th anniversary and hopefully, the release of the announced untitled multiplayer project so it’s not all doom and gloom. Overall, fans were impressed with the season finale - granting it a near-perfect score. Joel’s actions were understandably divisive, but most viewers seem to have sided with the character. It’s a decision that’ll have a major impact on season two. If I have one criticism about season one, it would regard the underuse of infected in some sequences but showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are aware of the issue and said we will see changes next season.

The Last of Us Part I launches on PC on 28 March.

I’m glad The Last of Us didn’t do the opposite and overuse the infected. They posed a real threat in the series but that being said, they ceased to have a presence in much of the latter half of the season which oftentimes felt like a missed opportunity. As reported by Variety, Mazin explained that, “We generally stressed the power of relationships and trying to find significance within moments of action and so there may be less action than some people wanted because we couldn’t necessarily find significance for quite a bit of it, or [there was] a concern that it would be repetitive.”

He continued, “There is more The Last of Us to come. It’s quite possible that there will be a lot more infected later - and perhaps different kinds.” Shamblers? Stalkers? Rat King? Tell me more. Mazin and Druckmann said that they decided to cut action scenes that didn’t “move character[s]” forward and were “only there for spectacle” in the game.

I’m happy that the show was made with that ethos. Meaningless action sequences certainly would have dulled down the quality of the season. On the other hand though, having Ellie and Joel battle one small cohort of infected just before reaching the hospital, showing everything they’re willing to risk and the power of the very threat they’re trying to overcome, you’re telling me that would’ve been meaningless? I would’ve liked to have seen it.