In a recent interview, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer praised HBO's recent TV series adaptation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, commending both the TV staff and the original game's team. Since the story-driven adventure game following Joel and Ellie in a zombie-ridden America debuted in 2013, the game's story and character writing has seen universal acclaim. The game would spawn a massively successful franchise featuring a sequel, comic books, and multiple cancelled film projects. Now, with the HBO series recently debuting on HBO Max, Phil Spencer had nothing but positive things to say about the show.

The recent debut of HBO's The Last of Us series has been met with positive reception from fans and critics alike. Early reviews have praised the performances of the series' two leads with many feeling Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey show natural chemistry in the roles of Joel and Ellie. The premiere of the show's first two episodes saw the series trending on social media, even beating out the ongoing NFL playoffs on Twitter. Now, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has given his own seal of approval to the Naughty Dog-inspired series.

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During a recent interview with IGN, Spencer spoke about the debut of the Last of Us HBO series, referring to it as a "fantastic" show. The Xbox boss commended the work that went into crafting the adaptation of what he called a "fantastic game," speaking highly of Naughty Dog's own work to build the game series. Spencer also had kind words for Neil Druckmann, feeling that the involvement of the original game's writer and creative director helped to elevate the series.

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Spencer's words of praise for the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us come after Microsoft recently saw one of its own flagship franchises adapted for a TV audience. The long-awaited Halo series debuted last year on Paramount Plus to mixed reception, with its action scenes and cast lauded while the series' writing was criticized. Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto was particularly critical of the Halo Paramount series, feeling it had strayed from "the Halo he made."

The Last of Us has already seen a massively successful launch despite only being two episodes into its first season run. HBO revealed that the second episode of the series saw a spike in viewership from its premiere, serving as the largest increase in viewers for an HBO original drama. Warner Media would later confirm that the popular series will continue, officially greenlighting a second season for The Last of Us. The Last of Us will look to continue its launch success moving forward throughout the rest of its first season and into the second.

The Last of Us airs Sundays at 9:00 PM EST on HBO.

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Source: IGN