The Last of Us is a 2013 developed by and published by . Players control , a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, , across a United States. The Last of Us is played from a . Players use firearms and , and can use to defend against hostile humans and creatures by a mutated fungus in the genus . In the mode, up to eight players engage in and competitive gameplay.
began in 2009, soon after the release of Naughty Dog's previous game, . For the first time in the company's history, Naughty Dog split into two teams; while one team developed , the other half developed The Last of Us. The relationship between Joel and Ellie became the focus, with all other elements developed around it. Actors and portrayed Joel and Ellie respectively through and , and assisted creative director with the development of the characters and story. The was composed and performed by .