Creator to Creator Neil Druckmann (The Last of Us) & Alex Garland (28 Years Later)
Mar 10, 2025
Neil Druckmann, a renowned game director behind The Last of Us, chats with Alex Garland, the visionary writer and director of 28 Days Later. They explore the art of storytelling across different media, discussing the unique pacing of games versus films. Druckmann reveals the story-first approach that shaped The Last of Us, while Garland shares his transition from novelist to filmmaker. They also highlight their mutual influences, the emotional connection to their work, and tease upcoming projects, culminating in a rich conversation on creativity and collaboration.
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Games As Mature Narrative Mediums
- Video games can carry fully sophisticated, adult narratives on par with films and books.
- The Last of Us and BioShock demonstrated that games can deliver deep themes and literary storytelling through mechanics and structure.
From School Pitch To The Last Of Us
- Neil Druckmann pitched a zombie story in school to George Romero and later developed that idea at Naughty Dog.
- He prioritized story first, building gameplay prototypes to serve an emotional core about unconditional love.
Design Story Before Levels
- Start game development by designing the full story, not by building isolated levels first.
- Let gameplay and story iterate together, changing each other until they align emotionally.
