The Last of Us Part II: Abby died in original ending, creator reveals

It has been revealed that Abby Anderson, one of the two primary characters in The Last of Us Part II, died in the game’s original ending.

The newly-released The Last of Us Part II Remastered for PS5 includes commentary featuring the game’s creators and voice actors.

In the commentary for the brutal fight between Ellie and Abby in Santa Barbara, writer Halley Gross explains: “So originally, the conception was that Abby dies here. And it would have been such a different game, I think.”

Abby’s voice actor Laura Bailey responds in disbelief: “I did not know that Abby died here originally!”

The shocking revelation about the planned – and eventually scrapped – ending comes after the recent announcement that actor Kaitlyn Dever will star as Abby in season 2 of The Last of Us TV series.

During the commentary, The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann was on hand to provide some context for the game’s original ending.

He explained: “Originally, I think, both Yara and Lev died. And this was just Abby by herself when you meet up with her. And then Ellie kills Abby.”

Ultimately, the writers decided to leave Abby alive to help preserve what little remained of Ellie’s humanity.

According to Halley Gross “leaving Ellie with 3% of the humanity that she got from… who she was, that good kid, that scrappy kid that Joel helped shape. I think if she killed Abby, you would never see that kid again. And this gives a hope that she’s still in there. A little bit. And could be maybe revived, in the same way Abby was revived, in the right circumstance.”

Ellie’s voice actor Ashley Johnson quietly responded “I agree.”

As the cinematic ends, Neil Druckmann says that fans still question what exactly made Ellie stop when she was attempting to drown Abby.

He said that players may wonder if it was “Lev? This memory of Joel? Is it everything she has experienced? Is it just Abby’s state, that it’s not this person that defeated her in the theatre?”

To Druckmann, however, “it’s all those things” because the game isn’t meant to have “clear-cut answers”.

How would you have reacted if Abby died at the end of The Last of Us Part II? Are you pleased the ending was changed? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles.