The Last of Us adaptation on HBO Max was met with stellar reviews for the premiere, but the show has now found an issue when it comes to the original game’s co-director Bruce Straley.
Talking to LA Times, Straley reveals that he is now looking for unionization for video game developers after he wasn’t credited in the Last of Us series on HBO. He says, “It’s an argument for unionization that someone who was part of the co-creation of that world and those characters isn’t getting a credit or a nickel for the work they put into it… Maybe we need unions in the video game industry to be able to protect creators.”
According to Video Games Chronicle, Straley was responsible for the violent tone of The Last of Us, and he had also given some creative insight when it comes to the character of Bill. Straley was said to have left Naughty Dog after the release of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
On the other hand, Neil Druckmann, the co-director of The Last of Us, has been getting a lot of credit with the series alongside showrunner Craig Mazin. Druckmann was even able to direct and write episodes himself and has been very prominent with the marketing of the show.
We don’t know what exactly went down with Straley getting credited, but hopefully Druckmann and the rest of the studio will be able to give him what he’s due, since he was a major contributor to the source material.
For now, catch The Last of Us now streaming on HBO Max.
