This was The Last of Us 2′s alternate ending, which killed off another character and left no loose ends

Since its release, The Last of Us 2 has been a controversial story and one that stands as one of the toughest narratives in the video game world. Death and revenge become one, and it does so with a great quality that allows us to show different points of view and hard lessons about a world that is truly difficult. And yet, it is incredible to think that this title could have been more controversial, according to the recently released remastering.

The remaster comes with comments from director Neil Druckmann, and the current co-president of Naughty Dog explains that he originally had a very different ending in mind for Ellie and Abby:

“Originally, I think Yara and Lev died (on the island). And this was just Abby by herself when you meet up with her.  And then Ellie kills Abby,” Druckmann explained. A very different ending from the one The Last of Us 2 would end with. In the version released, the final one, the protagonist ended up forgiving the firefly and refraining from taking revenge after a battle that left them both on the brink of death.

“I think leaving Ellie with 3% of the humanity she got from who she was that good kid, that scrappy kid that Joel helped shape. I think if she killed Abby, you would never see that kid again,” says Halley Gross, the game’s writer. “And this gives a hope that she’s still there. A little bit. And could be maybe revived, in the same way Abby was revived in the right circumstance.”

There are all kinds of rumors about The Last of Us 3, but all the theories and lucubrations about a hypothetical third installment (about which Naughty Dog has already confessed that it has made a decision) revolve around Abby with Lev, or his reunion with Abby. If the developer had kept the first ending, none of this would have been possible, because there would have been no loose ends.