The Last of Us shooting for release next year

A piece in USA Today [via TVGB] reveals that Naughty Dog is aiming for a late 2012/early 2013 release for their recently announced survival game, The Last of Us.

The studio's co-founder, Christopher Balestra, also talked about video games in general, and how the term "video game" is no longer an accurate title in this day and age.

"We're trying to move the medium of video games into an area elevated in the same manner of respect of film. We want to redefine what our medium is even called. 'Video game' is not an accurate name anymore. It is not necessarily a game with rules and a winner and a loser. It's an experience."

Many studios tried to blur the line between cinema and video games in the past, and some, like Naughty Dog and their Uncharted series, have achieved that goal in the eyes of many. I guess if any studio can redefine the term 'video game,' it's Naughty Dog. 

The Last of Us is Naughty Dog's take on post-apocalypse, has Enslaved designer

Naughty Dog surprised virtually everyone at this year's VGAs with the reveal trailer for their newest game, The Last of Us--I mean, seeing as how they just finished up Uncharted 3 and all. A little later, news broke that Enslaved's lead designer, Mark Richard Davies, is also working on the project. 

The Last of Us is the studio's take on the post-apocalyptic realm, although this game more than any other before it has a heavy I Am Legend influence. It follows what appears to be a father and daughter fighting for survival amidst some sort of outbreak--possibly caused by the government, but who knows--and they just keep moving day and night in hopes of seeing the next sunrise. 

While I could be wrong, I'll still say that it seems fairly obvious that The Last of Us is going to be a two-player co-operative title, which, I think could work in this setting. Single-player would probably be the most fitting choice, again, like I Am Legend, but I guess Naughty Dog wanted to skip ahead to when Dr. Neville met Anna.