Bruce Straley, the game director for
The Last of Us, has revealed his concern about a lack of credit for his work on the game’s world that was adapted for the HBO show. In an interview, he says that there’s an “argument for unionization [for] someone who was part of the co-creation of that world.” Straley is not included in the credits for The Last of Us HBO show, with the official writing credits going to Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin.
Straley and Druckmann’s relationship is still “strained”
In an in-depth piece by the
Los Angeles Times, Straley suggests that unions in the video game industry might help in giving creators the credit they deserve:
Per the LA Times, both HBO and Sony have declined to comment on his statement.
While Straley is only credited as the game director for The Last of Us, the article points out that he is “one of its key world builders” and that Druckmann gives credit to Straley for fleshing out the character for Bill (who actor Nick Offerman will play in the show). Straley also joined Druckmann to accept the award for
Best Narrative at GDC 2014, so it looks like the story for the original game would not be possible without Straley’s work.
While accreditation and compensation are two separate issues, his statement continues what the piece calls a “strained” relationship between Straley and Druckmann. Straley surprisingly left Naughty Dog in 2017 in part due to burnout and, after a nearly five-year hiatus, has started a new studio called Wildflower Interactive. In September 2022,
he responded to a user suggesting that Druckmann changed the credits for The Last of Us Part 1 due to his hubris.
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The Last of Us Game Director Calls for Unionization After HBO Credits Snub appeared first on
PlayStation LifeStyle.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/last-us-game-director-calls-202405469.html
For those unfamiliar with the role Straley had in creating this world, its characters and the story, this summary goes super in-depth (including notions of developers citing his departure from the studio as a reason for their own departure)
Worth to note that, with the exception of this one tweet:
Straley never participated in any way to the drama and polemics surrounding Part II. The contrary is true, in fact.