https://wccftech.com/the-last-of-us-part-ii-ellie-npc-companion/

The Last of Us was a great game for a lot of reasons, but an essential part of its appeal was the interaction between Joel and NPC companion Ellie. Will that kind of mechanic be returning for the sequel? The Last of Us Part II‘s E3 demo showed Ellie stabbing her way through a solo mission without a sidekick in sight! Thankfully, in a recent interview with Buzzfeed, The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann confirmed Ellie will have somebody watching her back…

“Ellie used to be an NPC, but she’s the protagonist in [The Last of Us Part II], so the player is controlling Ellie. Umm, it’s safe to say with the game that we made in the past that there will be some NPC with you in this story, even though we’re not showing [the NPC] in this demo. Our general approach is to say, again, ‘How do we treat them like people? How do we get them to behave honestly as those people? How do we give them interesting characteristics so that they can navigate the world, make meaningful actions, and surprise you in the way people do?’