The Last of Us HBO showrunner 'doesn't blame' fans upset over changes from the game

The second episode of HBO’s The Last of Us aired on Sunday, and many viewers aren’t particularly thrilled with a specific change to the game’s story – though franchise co-creator Neil Druckmann believes long-time fans have every right to criticize it.

Without veering too far into spoiler territory, the change fans are taking issue with how the fungal infection spreads in HBO’s series. In the game, it’s an airborne pathogen, but in the show, it transmits through direct contact with infected beasties. During an interview with Variety, Druckmann explained that he’s grateful that viewers have such strong opinions on the original story.

“I’ve learned to expect backlash from sneezing,” Druckmann said. “I think it speaks to the kind of fans that we have, who are so protective and love the world and these characters so much that anything they see as a deviation, without the full context of what it means, they assume the worst and push back on it. I think that addition is something worthwhile. It’s actually one of those additions where I’m like, ‘Oh man, I wish we had it for the game. I wish we had thought of it years ago, because I love it so much.'”

Last week’s premiere for The Last of Us garnered a lot of positive buzz. It’s also a massive hit, earning the second-biggest debut on HBO in the last decade. Recently, Druckmann also hinted that Naughty Dog’s next game will be like a TV show.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.