Gameranx: "A newspaper ad seems to think that Ellen Page is in The Last of Us."
The story in part 3 of Sony Interactive Entertainment and Naughty Dog's The Last of Us series may explore a "congregation of immune people."
Former Naughty Dog artist Gabriel Betancourt explains why the "sweet spot" for game teams is under 200 people and how AAA "factories" kill creativity.
There’s definitely some truth to this. When teams get too large, coordination starts to outweigh creativity—layers of approval, risk aversion, and tight deadlines can turn bold ideas into “safe” ones. Keeping a team under ~200 people sounds ideal for maintaining clear communication and a shared vision. That said, massive AAA projects also come with huge technical demands and expectations, so scaling up isn’t always avoidable. The real challenge is figuring out how to keep that small-team creativity alive inside big studio structures.
More than that, it's logistically untenable. Inevitably, when teams get too large, how do you keep tabs on accountability? I suspect this massive team size is a consequence of the perfectionism streak Naughty Dog has.
I wish we could have so many people working on something and it turns out great because I'm all for collaboration in spirit - the problem is too many people as part of the larger team and smaller units. Suppose for example that you have too many people in the art department; you will very often come up against fiercely competing visions for how things should look. That competitive vision will cause friction between team members, team doesn't work as a unit, the back and forth can further delay parts that the other departments are waiting for, etc etc.
A 200-person team says, to me, that we need to scale back game development. Even if it means we go back to PS2 era costs and scale, why not? Those games are still great fun, the budgets were in check, and you could literally break the 200-man team into like 10 20-man teams working on different projects.
The Last of Us Part I PS5 review covering visuals, combat feel, accessibility, performance modes, and whether it is really worth the asking price of $69.99.
In all honesty, the first trailer I saw of the Last of Us, I thought it was based on Ellen Page, after playing the game their are some similarities but a lot different than Ellen Page in Beyond.
researching your ad is for losers!
When I first saw Beyond Two Souls I thought "what? ANOTHER Ellen Page game?" I didn't realise The Last Of Us just stole her likeness (until she made a fuss about it)
I played both games. If you are going to play them for the first time, play The Last of Us first then Beyond Two Souls. The games are different, but they complement each other so well. One has gameplay, while the other focuses more on simplistic controls and interactivity. One is dreary and dark, while Beyond gives you a glimpse of hope. You will come out feeling sad after finishing The Last of Us, but Beyond saves you from misery.
Sometimes I wonder if this was all planned by Sony from the very beginning.
I think Ellie only looks like Ellen Page in screen shots. When she's in motion in the game, the resemblance disappears.