The Last of Us Part 2 Reveals Alternate Scene Cut from the Game's Ending

Nearly a year after the game's release on PlayStation 4, Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross are revealing new details about The Last of Us Part II. Appearing on the Script Apart podcast, Druckmann and Gross discussed part of the story that ended up on the cutting room floor. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. The game ends with Ellie giving up her quest for revenge against Abby for Joel's murder. However, when Ellie gets back to the farmhouse, she sees her pursuit of Abby resulted in Dina and her son JJ leaving. Originally, there would have been a scene where Ellie finds one of JJ's toys, which she would put in her backpack. Apparently, this would have been a bit too "definitive" for Druckmann and Gross, who wanted it open to interpretation.

Dina and JJ are shown to be a bright spot in Ellie's life. While Joel's death haunts Ellie, the family she has built helps her move on. Sadly, the return of Tommy forces her to decide between that family and revenge. Ellie opts for the latter, and loses everything as a result.

It's always interesting to get a glimpse at what might have been! The Last of Us Part II's narrative has caused a lot of controversy since the game's release, and many have been torn on the storyline. It seems unlikely that this small inclusion would have changed anyone's opinion on the ending, as Dina and JJ's absence seems more than clear enough, but it's impossible to say for sure.

This is not the only alternative plan Druckmann and Gross had for the game's finale. At one point, The Last of Us Part II nearly ended with Ellie killing Abby to avenge Joel. However, that ending was deemed too dark for the character, and it was decided that Ellie would have been irredeemable had she finished going down that path.

The Last of Us Part II is available now on PlayStation 4. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

Do you wish this scene had been included? What did you think of the game's ending? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: Tech Radar]