Good Guy Naughty Dog
As September 26th approaches, Naughty Dog has put out an unexpected, but not unwelcome statement about what is known in The Last of Us series as ‘Outbreak Day’. Mentioned throughout the first and second instalment of the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic ‘zombie’ series, ‘Outbreak Day’ is the day creatures and people had become infected by a mutated fungus in the genus Cordyceps and began attacking and infecting the conscious world.
Amidst the ongoing and horrific COVID-19 infection that we all are continuing to face, Naughty Dog didn’t feel comfortable continuing to mark the upcoming day as ‘Outbreak Day’. To Naughty Dog fans and the gaming community, September 26th will now be known as ‘The Last of Us Day’.
I must admit, playing through The Last of Us Part II earlier this year, we giggled – although somewhat nervously – when they mentioned the day the infection ruined the world, especially as we were sitting inside during our first lock down due to COVID-19.
As mentioned above, I wasn’t expecting to hear about a change, especially as they actually went ahead and released the game during – in some places – the height of COVID, but it’s not an unwelcome change to see.