The Last of Us 2 Remastered director says the sheer amount of new content justifies the re-release after only three years

The Last of Us 2 Remastered's director has commented on remastering the original game after just three years, while speaking on what the 'Lost Levels' offer.

Speaking to 12DOVE, The Last of Us 2 Remastered director Matthew Gallant addressed why Naughty Dog is opting to remaster the original game after just three years. "I think there's going to be a lot of players who are interested in the next-gen tech upgrade," Gallant said.

The director added that Naughty Dog has increased "visual settings" in the remaster, as well pointing to "haptics integration" and faster loading times on the PS5 for reasons behind the remaster. "And some players will be really excited to play in 4K and fidelity mode or performance mode, and to get all these next-gen benefits," Gallant continued.

"For players for whom that isn't a draw, that's where we have this kind of smorgasbord of other features that I think different people are going to be drawn to," Gallant said. The director pointed to the Lost Levels, cut content from the original Last of Us 2, as a reason, and the developer commentary attached to the cut levels.

Gallant also highlighted the new roguelike mode, No Return, as another reason for re-releasing the Naughty Dog game. "Even for the music lovers out there, we have a guitar free play mode," the director added. "So overall there's a lot of different things that I think will find different audiences, and hopefully everyone finds something that they like."

The Naughty Dog veteran also commented on what players can expect from the aforementioned Lost Levels. "There's no shocking revelation for anything, but if you really want a full idea of what could have been [...] there's a tonne of what I love about the Lost Levels, not only are you getting to play them in a pre-alpha state that most players have never played - and I think that might actually be quite revelatory for players to know," Gallant said of the cut content.

"It's still an incredible story," Gallant concluded, looking back on The Last of Us 2 after more than three years. "And I think players who play it for the first time or revisit it after a few years, I think they'll find it's a rich story with lots of detail, and it's well worth replaying."

The Last of Us 2 Remastered is out next month on January 19, with a $10 upgrade path for anyone who already owns the original game. For our hands-on experience with the new roguelike survival mode, you can read ahead to our The Last of Us 2 Remastered preview for more.

You can also peruse our upcoming PS5 games guide for a look at what else to expect on the new-gen console next year.