More and more studies are encouraged to make documentaries about the development process of their games. This is good news because it allows us to have documented how it was to make the games, not just the final version. With its lights and shadows, game development has generally been idealized, and it is good to have a realistic perspective that shows things as they are. In addition to having a series of documents that help preserve a specific time and place, beyond the memories of the specific members who worked at that time in the studio.
That’s why it’s good news that Naughty Dogs has announced that they have made a documentary about The Last of Us Part 2. Called Grounded II, sequel to Grounded, a documentary about the development of the first The Last of Us, it was a documentary that began filming in 2016, but was abandoned when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Now all the footage that was left behind has been recovered and, with new material, a documentary has been made to explain the game’s creation process, as experienced from within.
To know what to expect, we can take a look at Grounded. The documentary about the development of The Last of Us released in 2014 narrated over eighty-five minutes the development and the “unique philosophy”, in the words of those responsible for it, of the first installment of the saga. Therefore, we can expect something similar for this sequel.
Thanks to the trailer of just over two minutes that they have released, we already know some specific things about Grounded II. Focusing on all aspects of development, it seems that they will not leave any aspect or any development topic untouched. Including the crucial aspect of crunch. But if the trailer and the experience of Grounded serve for something, it is that we should not expect a fierce criticism of it either. Although it is always possible that, as they said in the past, Naughty Dogs have radically changed their company policy regarding crunch.
Grounded II will premiere on January 19th for free on Youtube. The date is not accidental, as it will be released on the same day as the launch of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, a new native version for PlayStation 5 that will include technical improvements and new content. A golden opportunity to try the game, if you are interested and haven’t played it yet.
