Modder Speclizer discovered that Naughty Dog originally implemented a "Hold Up" mechanic in The Last of Us Part II, which was ultimately cut from the final version.
This feature allowed Ellie to sneak up on an enemy from behind, force them to raise their hands, and then control their movement — telling them where to go and which way to turn (towards Ellie or with their back). Over time, the captured enemy would try to grab a weapon and resist.
Since Naughty Dog left unused animations and scripts in the game files, Speclizer intends to restore this mechanic in The Last of Us Part II. However, according to him, this will require significant effort. The mod will be available exclusively for the PC version of the game, as the PlayStation 5 version does not support modifications.