Sharknife’s Corey Lewis expresses sadness at the closing of a Seattle location that Naughty Dog put into The Last of Us Part II’s level design.
A notable The Last of Us Part II location will officially lock its doors thanks to a different apocalyptic outbreak.
Comic creator Corey Lewis mourned Seattle’s GameWorks arcade, as well as all other GameWorks, which will close due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “This is the day I’ve dreaded for years. Seattle about to lose significant cool points,” Lewis wrote. “Place has been an oasis, a creativity filled area with hidden rooms, catwalks, games, places to draw, gather, drink [and] be merry. Basically the exact thing we need MORE of in society [and] I felt blessed we are least had THIS. … No more… we love you [GameWorks].”
Lewis also reflected on his memories of GameWorks and what its loss means for Seattle going forward. “No matter what was happening, you could count on Seattle lowkey having one of the dopest arcades in the world in it… Now what? It’s just a big dumb city,” he continued.
The Last of Us Part II released in June 2020 to mixed reception– universally praised by critics but dividing fans for how its revenge storyline played out. Despite the backlash, Naughty Dog’s game not only went on to win Game of the Year at the 2020 Game Awards, but beat The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‘s record for most Game of the Year Awards won by a single title.
While never officially named in The Last of Us Part II, Ellie visits an abandoned arcade reminiscent of GameWorks via motorboat during her final day in Seattle hunting down Joel’s killer Abby. Stopping inside to open a gate blocking the way to the town’s Ferris wheel and aquarium, Ellie’s mission is briefly sidetracked after she falls into a closed-off game room. This leads to a brief mini-boss battle with a Bloater — one of the larger Infected Cordycep zombies — that has since turned the building into its den.
Prior to The Last of Us Part II, the first game’s Left Behind DLC saw Ellie and her best friend Riley visit the fictional arcade Raja’s Arcade while sneaking through an abandoned Boston mall. Currently, a The Last of Us HBO series is currently in development, with leaked photos revealing multiple live-action adaptations of the franchise’s settings from the gaming franchise like The Last of Us‘ Boston Quarantine Zone and Jackson settlement from Part II‘s opening level. While a release date has not yet been revealed, actor Gabriel Luna, who plays Joel’s brother Tommy, implied that it may drop on HBO “sooner than later.”
The Last of Us II is currently available on the PlayStation Store. HBO’s The Last of Us is set to release sometime in 2022.
KEEP READING: Last of Us Set Video Has Pedro Pascal Surprise a Lucky Fan – on Horseback
Sources: Twitter, Gamesradar
Marvel Revealed the Most Powerful Venom Symbiote – And Carnage Isn’t Even Close
About The Author
Ben Wasserman (701 Articles Published)
Ben Wasserman is a graduate of NYU’s M.A. Cinema Studies Program at the Tisch School of the Arts. He’s previously written for the pop culture websites ComicsVerse and mxdwn Movies and currently writes movie reviews for Film-Forward alongside CBR. Ben loves all things film, television, gaming and comic-related, especially when it comes to Marvel. You can reach out to Ben on his Twitter page: https://twitter.com/WassermanReview