At The Last of Us Part II panel at PlayStation Experience, director Neil Druckmann revealed Ellie will be the main protagonist players will play as in the anticipated sequel.
Set a few years after the ending of The Last of Us, Part II will star a 19-year-old Ellie still surviving with the first game’s main playable character Joel.
Druckmann said Naughty Dog explored other protagonists for a sequel but came back to Joel and Ellie, as the two are integral to what makes The Last of Us what it is. Using “Part II” is a reflection of this – it’s a continuation of their journey and a complementary piece to the original story.
While the first story featured a theme of love, the sequel will be about hate, as evidenced by Ellie’s vengeful spoken line, "I’m gonna find, and I’m gonna kill, every last one of them," in the debut trailer.
The Last of Us Part II was revealed at the end of this morning’s PlayStation Experience 2016 press conference with no current release date or window in place. At the panel, Druckmann said he has a general idea of when the game will be finished, but learned from Uncharted 4 not to speak too early on release dates.