The Future of The Last of Us Franchise

Last week PlayStation leaked the existence of The Last of Us: Part 1, a remake of Naughty Dog's hugely successful zombie game. With 2023 marking ten years of The Last of Us, PlayStation and Naughty Dog are developing the future of the series. In a June 9th PlayStation Blog post, Sr. Manager Communications for Naughty Dog, Rochelle Snyder outlined what fans can expect from The Last of Us franchise going forward. Beginning with the news that The Last of Us: Part 2 has sold over 10 million copies globally since its release in 2020.
 

Alongside the previously revealed Standard Edition and Firefly Edition, The Last of Us: Part 1 will receive a Digital Deluxe Edition. Included in the Digital Deluxe Edition are the following perks, weapons, and features:

- Increased Crafting Speed Skill
- Increased Healing Speed Skill
- 9mm Reload Speed Increase Upgrade
- Rifle Clip Capacity Increase Upgrade
- Explosive Arrows Gameplay Modifier
- Dither Punk Filter
- Speedrun Mode
- Six Weapon Skins: Black Gold 9mm Pistol, Silver Filigree 9mm Pistol, Rubber Tactical Shotgun, Sculpted Oak Shotgun, Arctic White Bow, Carbon Black Bow

Like many Pre-Order and Digital Edition bonuses in recent years, The Last of Us: Part 1 offers players the chance to be well equipped and overpowered from the beginning, arguably taking the suspense, horror, and challenge out of The Last of Us' early hours. For the remake, Matthew Gallant has taken over as Game Director and Shaun Escayg as Creative Director. Naughty Dog promises that the remake will implement "modernized gameplay, improved controls, and expanded accessibility options" and aim to use the PlayStation 5's "3D Audio, haptics, and adaptive triggers" to further improve the gameplay experience.
 

Naughty Dog has also announced a "full-scale, standalone" multiplayer game set in The Last Of Us' post-apocalyptic America. The original 2013 title was widely praised for its outstanding single-player narrative, but its multiplayer 'Factions' mode did garner itself a cult following. Nothing else is known about the new multiplayer game other than it will be using the franchise's "massive scope and immense world". Unfortunately, fans will have to wait till next year for more information.

Finally, there is some exciting news regarding HBO's The Last of Us television adaptation as voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson have been cast in "major roles". Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramey (Game of Thrones) have been cast as Joel and Ellie, respectively, in the adaptation. Still, it will be nice to see the beloved characters' original actors make an appearance. The show is helmed by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and executive produced by Carolyn Strauss (Game Of Thrones) and Neill Druckmann. Those familiar with the series will know Druckmann as Game Director for The Last of Us and The Last of Us: Part 2, and will be excited to learn that he has also directed an episode for HBO's new series.

The Last of Us: Part 1 releases on September 2nd for PlayStation 5, and is in development for PC.
 

Alex David Johnson
News Editor, NoobFeed