Extra content coming for 'The Last of Us'

Best-selling PlayStation 3 game "The Last of Us," known for its lavish graphics and gripping emotional story, is to recieve a batch of new single-player story content according to a designer Reddit AMA session, with further details expected later in August.

Responding to questions posed as part of an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit, designers Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann dropped some serious hints about what might be coming up.

The studio is "currently working on single-player DLC," said Druckmann," and fans can expect to "hear about it this month."

Will any of the main story's characters return? "Yes," replied Druckmann, while Staley said "there's stuff in the pipe... to be talked about soon-ish... hang in there!"

Is that a hint about mysterious character Ish, referred to through a series of notes left in the game's overgrown Pittsburgh suburbs?

Bruce admitted that the Naughty Dog studio has considered expanding on Ish's storyline. "Ish seems to be pretty damn popular. We'll see..." added Neil.

As for the game's genesis, and in contrast to the "Uncharted" series, a cross between the treasure hunts of "Indiana Jones" and wisecracking of Joss Whedon's "Firefly," built around spectacular set pieces and attractive locations, Druckmann said that for "The Last of Us," "the concept of structuring an entire game around a relationship between two characters came first and was always at the heart of development," as main characters Joel and Ellie make their way across a decimated America.

And, without spoilers, the pair acknowledged that while the game's ending might not have gone down well with focus groups, they were glad to have kept it as is.

"We had a happier ending at one point, where Ellie and Joel were driving completely contented and satisfied with their adventures off into a glorious sunset... but that didn't feel right. It just wasn't honest to the world or the characters we created," noted Bruce. "It felt honest. Anything else felt like we were pandering," agreed Neil.

Any other tidbits? Neil stopped just short of revealing that Joel was named after film director Joel Coen -- "No Country for Old Men" named as a considerable influence upon development -- and the two also picked out some of their favorite games by other studios.

"ICO" and "Resident Evil 4" were held in common, while Bruce went for "Yoshi's Island," "Limbo" and 2013 pick "Hotline Miami," and Neil plumped for "Monkey Island 2." Check them out if you can.

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