The Last of Us Part II launches on PC today, April 3rd, and an interview with Game Informer has already clued us in that Naughty Dog and Nixxes Software are focusing more on optimization this time and aiming to avoid the disappointing launch we saw with the first game. However, it seems the developers aren't just working on making the game run well. They're also eager to see “what players do with the game.”

Modding has been one of the core aspects of PC gaming for decades, and we’ve seen with titles like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 how giving modders the freedom to experiment can make a game even more enjoyable. Fortunately, the studios behind The Last of Us Part II are on the same page as us, meaning we can expect some impressive mods to arrive for the game.

What do they think of an Ellie Shrek mod?

During the interview, Game Informer humorously asked game director Matthew Gallant and head of tech Travis McIntosh their thoughts on seeing modders swap Ellie's character model for something like Shrek. In response, the two said they are “just thrilled the players love these games or want to engage with them at the end of the day.” This shows that the developers just want to see gamers have fun, and they don't mind the “funny edits” that will come with opening up the game on PC.

“It will be an interesting journey to see what players do with the game now that it’s kind of on this very, open-ended ecosystem and we have a lot less control. But I feel like, in general, where we’re at is wanting to meet players where they are. We're interested to see what players modify in the game.”

Matthew Gallant, Game Director, via Game Informer

Both developers further added that when playing any game, the player brings a lot of themselves to the experience, and how they play and the experience they have, where they choose to go, completes the story that’s told through the medium of video games. And in such cases, it's all about making the game engaging in a way that, while the developers “wouldn’t want to do that,” for the player, it is what makes them come back.

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.