The Last of Us setting inspired by "ruin porn"

The city seen in The Last of Us is noticeably dilapidated, which may seem a little unrealistic given that only twenty years have passed since the apocalyptic event which broke down society, but Naughty Dog explained that the highly deteriorated environments are based on research into what would actually happen.

In a video interview posted on GameInformer, game director Bruce Straley and creative director Neil Druckmann said they were partially inspired by a book (and BBC documentary) The World Without Us, mentioning the oft-cited example of New York's subway needing constant pumping to avoid flooding.

"Systems are going to collapse. The computer in your pocket right now, your cell phones, your access to the Internet, street lights - all this stuff is going to shut down," Straley said.

"We were stuck in LA traffic just trying to get to the restaurant ten blocks away - it took an hour. When s**t hits the fan, that's what it's gonna be like."

"It's all research, asking what would happen?" Druckmann continued.

"How quickly does nature reclaim this stuff? What happens when drain pipes clog and water starts collecting and the roof starts caving in?"

"We realise, the more we read about this stuff, that we're constantly pushing nature back."

It's not all speculative science, either; Straley found examples closer to home.

"You can find abandoned lots right now that are overgrown and beautiful," he said.

"Detroit - there's huge suburbs, swarths of this metropolis, that are being overtaken by nature. It's interesting to see this thing, this ruin porn that's out there, where people go into these abandoned facilities and take photos and post them on Flickr.

"We start diving into this and seeing what's out there - this is instantly provocative for the Naughty Dog mindset."

The Last of Us is Naughty Dog's first new IP since Uncharted, and is expected exclusively on PlayStation 3 in 2012.