Why Ellie on the front cover?

[hakej37]

Ellie is basically one of the two main characters, but we play as Joel (excluding DLC) and I always felt like The Last of Us 1 was Joel's spotlight and the sequel was Ellie's. It strikes me as weird to see the logo as it is. I do realize Joel is in the logo as well, but I feel like their places should be switched.

Obviously it doesn't matter that much, just an honest curious question about art design. I love Ellie just as much as I love Joel and I just find the art weird, nothing else. Your thoughts?

EDIT: Can't delete the post but I'm turning off the notifications. Thank you to most of you for your opinions, I understand more the choice of Ellie on the cover, it is still odd for me that non-playable character is on the front cover but that might be my age speaking, besides there's no "written rule" that the playable character has to be the main spotlight of the cover, and you are right that the whole story IS about Ellie so that cover makes more sense than meets the eye at first.

[Just Chill]

Look closer:
https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1888930/header.jpg?t=1674157965

Joel is inside her... Even though writing that sounds wrong on multiple levels. oO
He's inside her shoulder.


Doesn't sound better.

[Guydodge]

she is the main character in both 1 and 2

[Just Chill]

Originally posted by Guydodge:

she is the main character in both 1 and 2

She is. The OP perfectly wrote that.
Yet Joel is either a main character in 1.

In FF8 it's also not just Squall who is the main.
But also Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Rinoa and Irvine.

[hakej37]

Originally posted by Just Chill:

Look closer:
https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1888930/header.jpg?t=1674157965

Joel is inside her... Even though writing that sounds wrong on multiple levels. oO
He's inside her shoulder.


Doesn't sound better. :awkward:

"I do realize Joel is in the logo as well, but I feel like their places should be switched."?

[hakej37]

Originally posted by Guydodge:

she is the main character in both 1 and 2

"Ellie is basically one of the two main characters"

[Just Chill]

Originally posted by //Hakej:

"I do realize Joel is in the logo as well, but I feel like their places should be switched."?

Hm, I do not have that feeling.
It's just a cover pic and can look like anything.

[Daddy Kratos]

cuz of the agenda theyre trynna push that joel is a horrible guy and ellie was the true protagonist which she was not

[hakej37]

Originally posted by Daddy Kratos:

cuz of the agenda theyre trynna push that joel is a horrible guy and ellie was the true protagonist which she was not

eh I get what you're saying but I don't think that's the case

[PRAET0R1AN™]

I think the focus on Ellie in the cover art is to show her significance in that she is likely, Almost to the point where it can't really be debated, To be a source of a potential vaccine because of her immunity to the Cordyceps whereas Joel's role isn't that significant in terms of the plot itself.

That's what I think of when I look at the cover art anyway.

I might be reading too much into it, maybe not.

[Snarbles]

the first game is her origin story, that is the exact words of the devs

[phatsolew]

because women are strong!!!

[Blacksmyth Zephlyn]

Hate to tell you this but I don't think The Last of Us was really ever about Joel even though he's the main player in Part 1. Part 2 pretty much confirms this.

It's kinda like how I believe The Walking Dead (comics) was really about Carl and his evolution throughout the series to the end but we mainly focus on Rick and him building up Carl's character until he dies and Carl takes over. Too bad the show didn't understand this.

[Corona Scurrae]

because joel has been turned into a chauvinistic and sadistic egoist. he is like a prolonged version of a MacGuffin. he just exists, so ellie can hate him and pursue revenge that she will regret - after massacring hundreds brutally mind you - and lose everything in the process.

the name for this magnum opus you might ask? the last of us conveniently named part 2 because in part 3 lev is going to witness a random npc, turned protagonist, come down hard on abbie and the cycle continues.

naughty dog is such a genius really. there is no such thing as ludonarrative dissonance in their games because everything just fits... like hookers and stds

[Budoshi]

Most importantly.. why does it matter ?!?

[LeftIsBest-James]

While the game put Joel in the center, outside the game, and post launch, it was Ellie. Esp on youtube and outside the active-players
Post-Game launch - the media focus was on her.
- the papparazzi, the fan art.
- the is she elliotpage or not drama.
- the whole of TLOU2

The new logo is probabaly just adapting to it.