The showrunner of HBO's The Last of Us, Craig Mazin, believes that the story of The Last Of Us is the greatest ever told in the history of video games. In his recent interview with Empire, Mazin stated that Naughty Dog's 2013 survival horror title tells the best video game story ever, also adding that "it's an open-and-shut case." During the interview, Mazin discussed the reasons behind the game's incredible success and how the same reasons will play a key role in the anticipated show.
During a recent interview, Craig Mazin, who is well known for being the showrunner of HBO's Chernobyl series, said "It’s an open-and-shut case: this is the greatest story that has ever been told in video games". The showrunner elaborated on this bold claim in the interview, saying he has "never experienced anything like it," even though he has been "playing video games since 1977."
According to the showrunner, there are a series of reasons behind the title's incredible success, and one of them is the realism behind The Last of Us' story. "They didn't shoot anything out of their eyeballs," said Mazin, probably referring to the superhero narratives. He further explained his point by saying how Joel and Ellie, and the other characters "were just people. And that, in and of itself, is remarkably rare in games. The fact that they kept it so grounded, and really made you feel - I had never experienced anything like it."
Mazin believes that The Last of Us TV show will depend on this very foundation to build on the game's success. While the reasons behind the show's potential success seem similar, the showrunner reiterated that the upcoming adaptation will expand upon the game's story. Apparently, Mazin and the director of the 2013 game, Neil Druckmann asked themselves about what they can do instead of simply adapting the title. "Why are we only doing what's in the game? What can we do to expand?" said the showrunner in his interview.
We do not know whether the story of The Last of Us is the greatest in the history of video games. But we do know that its TV adaptation is set to premiere on HBO Max on January 16, 2023. The cast of the show is nothing short of top Hollywood performers too, as it includes Pedro Pascal, Anna Torv, Gabriel Luna, Bella Ramsey, and more.