Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us was released over a decade ago to massive critical and commercial acclaim. The sequel followed seven years later, in June 2020. The original game received a remake last year in The Last of Us Part 1, and the recent HBO TV show based on the game took the world by storm. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that now, allegedly, The Last of Us 2 is getting a remaster as well. After all, the undead won’t die and their appeal is seemingly everlasting.
Lead Outsource Artist accidentally confirms the remaster’s existence on LinkedIn
A recent leak revealed that Naughty Dog is working on The Last of Us 2 Remaster. This comes via the LinkedIn account of the studio’s Lead Outsource Artist, Mark Pajarillo. On his profile, he posted that he had worked on “two iconic titles The Last of Us: Part One and The Last of Us 2: Remastered.” As the latter of the two hasn’t been officially announced yet, the employee was quick to delete it from his profile again.
With this candid mention of the game, it is likely that the remaster is in the works. The existence of a new and potentially extended version of the sequel game was already leaked by composer Gustavo Santaolalla earlier this year. The Argentine composer, who has worked on both games and the TV show, hinted at this in an interview, when talking about his cameo in the game. With both these leaks indicating a remastered version of the sequel is under development, its existence is all but confirmed.
Keeping The Last of Us hype train moving
The timing for a The Last of Us 2 Remaster would also work well for the studio. Naughty Dog released The Last of Us Part 1 in September 2022, a remake of the original game, which it built from the ground up for PlayStation 5 and PC. The highly anticipated HBO TV show based on the game launched a few months later on HBO’s streaming platform MAX, in January 2023, drawing in new audiences who were unfamiliar with the game. With the release of the remake ahead of the show, these new audiences had a definitive edition to play the game on modern devices with high visual fidelity.
The HBO show saw tremendous success and was swiftly confirmed for a second season. A release date hasn’t been revealed yet, but it is believed it will cover events from the second game. If Naughty Dog were to release The Last of Us 2 Remaster in time for the second season, it could keep the hype train surrounding the story of Joel, Ellie, and the undead going.
Post-apocalyptic zombie stories never go out of style
The Last of Us fits into a genre that both movie and TV viewers as well as gamers have loved for a long time. Gruesome stories teeming with zombies or zombie-like creatures set in a post-apocalyptic world keep drawing audiences in on any medium. The ongoing appeal of The Last of Us shows this clearly, with the long-running The Walking Dead series further adding to this. In the meantime, a whole slew of shows and games based on The Walking Dead have been released, with more set to be released in the future. Another favorite is the popular Resident Evil franchise, which still produces successful video games featuring hordes of zombies.
Even in more colorful casual games on mobile devices, the zombies have found their place, with games such as Plants vs. Zombies celebrating tremendous popularity. They have even already lurched into the realm of casino games and are featured on various online slots. Many of the best-rated casino platforms as listed on CasinoReviews feature zombie-themed slots within their large game libraries. For instance, the Wild Walker, Zombie Hoard, and Zombie aPOPalypse all depict the undead on their reels in diverse and colorful ways. With Resident Evil Village VR, players can even fight zombies in virtual reality, which shows that their popularity in any shape, form, or medium doesn’t seem to wane. With the latest The Last of Us hype, it is very likely fans will jump at the opportunity to play a remastered version of the sequel.
The Last of Us is one of the most popular video games ever made and has seen recent hype thanks to its remake and TV show. Now a remaster of the sequel may be underway to continue the adventures in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-ridden world once more.
