Xbox boss Phil Spencer came out and praised The last of us HBO series. He admitted in an interview that the show, produced by Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions, is “setting an incredibly high bar.” He believes much of the show’s success stems from Neil Druckmann playing an essential role in both the game and its adaptation, though Spencer says Druckmann “probably doesn’t like me calling him out on this.”
Spencer hopes the second season of the Halo TV series will be as good as The Last of Us
When asked in an interview with IGN if he thinks the second season of the Halo TV series can reach the level of The Last of Us, Spencer replied:
I want the best for everything we work on, including the Halo TV series. I think there are some differences there, but I don’t think the point of the question, “Hey, Last of Us is out there, setting the bar incredibly high. Should we all aspire to reach that same bar with the work we do in television? Absolutely.
He goes on to say that the same could be said of video games, where any great game “inspires us to do the best work we can.” Specifically, he mentions that this is the case with the Halo TV show and games like Hi-Fi Rush, which were dropped in the shade during the recent Xbox Developer Direct showcase.
The ratings for The Last of Us HBO series are already through the roof, with the second biggest debut since 2010. The show’s second season has also already been confirmed.