Neil Druckmann, writer and director of The Last of Us Part II, has clarified the apparent plot hole belonging to the Pearl Jam band. But first, some background. Guitars are used as a symbolic tool to show the link between Joel and Ellie, with various songs appearing in scenes. Guitars even appear as playable objects, and it is possible for experienced musicians to recreate songs on Ellie’s in-game guitar.
But one thing is not clear: how can Joel interpret a song in the game that would never have been released in his world due to the outbreak? The game director has an explanation. Whether or not you buy that explanation depends on whether you think Joel watched concert videos in his spare time.
In a first scene, Joel plays a cover of Pearl Jam’s “Future Days”, which appeared on the Lightning Bolt album. This album was released on October 15, 2013, several weeks after September 26, 2013, which is World Outbreak Day in The Last of Us Part II. So how did Joel find out about a song that was never released?
According to director Neil Druckmann, it’s simple: The song was performed live at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on July 19, and Joel watched a video on YouTube.
This makes sense, but it’s a shame that Joel’s canonical backstory in this song doesn’t imply that he goes to the concert himself. In fact, putting the song in the game was a bit of a difficult task, and Druckmann almost flew to Seattle to meet Eddie Vedder.
Joel’s portrayal of this song dates back to a Last of Us performance by voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, which included an epilogue to the game in which Joel began teaching Ellie how to play the guitar. This scene finally made its way in the sequel.
Unlike the original game, The Last of Us Part II won’t get the story DLC, though a multiplayer standalone mode is coming.
