How The Last Of Us Game Designer Matthew Gallant Feels About The HBO Series Trailer

"The Last of Us" captured the hearts of gamers when Naughty Dog released the original game back in 2013. Nine years, one sequel, and one remake later, Sony is partnering with HBO to bring the story of "The Last of Us" to brand new eyes. 

September 26, in the video game, marks the day that the apocalyptic outbreak began, but in the real world, Naughty Dog has aptly named it The Last of Us Day. Every year on The Last of Us Day, the video game developer focuses on the fans, but this year is extra special with the surprise release of the trailer for the highly-anticipated HBO series, "The Last of Us." 

The trailer showcased the absolute chaos that's to come in the HBO series and gave fans a great look at stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who reassured fans they'd love the show. Although the trailer looks incredible, fans are inherently worried about the show's accuracy to the video game. While pairing acclaimed director Craig Mazin with video game director Neil Druckmann was a good start, gamers won't relax until they see the final product. 

Matthew Gallant, game designer on "The Last of Us," recently shared his thoughts on how the HBO adaptation looks.

Matthew Gallant, game designer on the original "The Last of Us" and game director on the remake, spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his reactions to the show's first trailer. "It gave me goosebumps to watch the trailer, as little footage as that was. I felt like I was wanting to watch it over and over again, and catch all the little details." Note that the footage in question was the 40 seconds of footage HBO released with the "House of the Dragon" premiere, not the trailer that dropped today.

Gallant and fellow "Last of Us" game designer Shaun Escayg understand the original game's charm and how that could translate to the small screen. In their interview, they cite how the 2013 video game was practically a movie on its own. The development team revolutionized the video game industry by keeping players in the story even when they weren't watching a cutscene. The developers focused on ensuring the game continued to tell its story through combat, environment, and collectibles, which were all part of Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley's vision. Gallant and Escayg have complete faith in the HBO series, which has Druckmann signed on as co-developer and writer.

Escayg also commented on the first footage of "The Last of Us," calling it "lightning in a bottle." "This story is crossing mediums and expanding, and potentially reaching a larger audience that will draw, in turn, more and more fans to the franchise," he told Entertainment Weekly. "And for us, it's getting to relive it."

Fans can rest easy because "The Last of Us" seems to be in good hands with both Druckmann and Mazin.

"The Last of Us" will premiere on HBO Max in 2023.