A former executive from Capcom’s era mentioned that the Resident Evil 7 team took inspiration from Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us while aiming for critical success, according to a report from GamingBolt. Miguel Conti also suggested that the team initially considered Call of Duty’s Zombies mode for ideas.
This highlights a clear shift in design references. Zombies is all about score-driven, wave-based multiplayer action. In contrast, The Last of Us focuses on a linear, character-driven single-player narrative. Those are significantly different objectives.
The summary from GamingBolt doesn’t detail which specific aspects of The Last of Us the RE7 team incorporated. The available excerpt also lacks Conti’s complete comments. Until we hear the full context, it’s best to treat the extent of the influence as unconfirmed.
The benchmark itself is straightforward. The Last of Us debuted on June 14, 2013, and boasts a Metacritic score of 95. It remains one of the most lauded action-adventure titles of its time, making it a sensible model for any team seeking acclaim.
The game still has a solid player base. It enjoys an 83% positive rating from 45,577 reviews on Steam, with a price tag of $59.99. At the time of writing, there were about 1,854 players online.
| Release date | June 14, 2013 |
| Metacritic score | 95 |
| Steam reviews | 83% positive (45,577 reviews) |
| Current Steam price | $59.99 |
| Current players | 1,854 |
Community Pulse
Overall, the community feels positively about The Last of Us across the 10 signals we monitored. Reviewers often highlight the story and character development—elements a horror team would likely want to analyze. One Steam reviewer noted, “The story and characters are what make this game so special. The world is brutal, and you really feel how difficult it is to survive in it.” According to the GamingBolt coverage, this focus on emotional depth seems to be what Conti’s comments are emphasizing.
What To Watch
- Fuller remarks from Conti: Details on which design choices from The Last of Us the team embraced and the reasons for moving away from Zombies.
- Capcom’s response: Any confirmation or additional insights from developers involved with Resident Evil 7.
- Player activity for The Last of Us: Whether the renewed interest affects the 1,854 concurrent players on Steam.
Sarah Chen
Sarah Chen is the Reviews and Guides Editor at Explosion.com. With a background in game design studies and 6 years of gaming journalism, Sarah brings technical insight to her reviews and creates comprehensive guides that help players get the most out of their games. She has reviewed over 200 titles across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms. Her current obsessions include FromSoftware titles and indie roguelikes.
