Highlights
- The Last of Us franchise's popularity can be attributed to its quality, despite there being only two games released with a large gap between them.
- Players have received The Last of Us in each console generation since it came out, with the latest iteration being a remake for the PS5.
- The potential remaster of The Last of Us Part 2 could be seen as unnecessary and may disappoint fans who want new content instead.
The Last of Us’ popularity isn’t surprising due to its quality, but it is surprising due to how there have only been two games thus far in its franchise, and how both came out with almost a decade between each other. It doesn’t seem as if there have only been two The Last of Us installments, though, and that’s because fans have been made to anticipate a new remaster of The Last of Us in every console generation since it was released. The latest iteration of that premise was an actual remake, updating its graphics and performance to that of PS5 quality, and it now looks similar to The Last of Us Part 2.
Indeed, The Last of Us Part 2 is way ahead of the original in terms of graphical fidelity and technical performance, and that’s largely a result of how much console hardware has advanced since the PS3. Either way, fans have now had every opportunity available to play the original The Last of Us, whether that was on PS3, PS4, or PS5. If a recent developer leak is to be believed, The Last of Us Part 2 is now also apparently being given its own remaster, which may be even harder for Naughty Dog to justify and might be the last straw in terms of fans growing weary regarding The Last of Us’ regurgitated nature.
The Last of Us Part 2’s Leaked Remaster May Be the Last Straw
The Last of Us’ remake was a hot point of discourse when it was officially announced. There were many fans who argued how little The Last of Us actually needed a remake, citing previous remasters as already updating the game as much as it needed to be.
The remake obviously looks better concerning hyperrealism, but aside from visuals, it felt like there wasn’t anything that could be updated that would make logical sense of it being repackaged and sold to players once again because that’s essentially what was happening. The Last of Us is still incredibly beloved and has a ton of potential as a franchise, but fans haven’t really been able to see Naughty Dog explore it yet aside from perennially re-releasing the same game with a new coat of paint.
That’s why The Last of Us Part 2’s potential remaster is even more unfortunate—the sequel was only released three years ago and while it could arguably be improved with a remaster exclusive to PS5, fans would be paying for a remaster that the original already makes obsolete. If Naughty Dog continues to value re-releases and not new experiences, it could end up hurting the fanbase.
The Last of Us Won’t Be Able to Hide Behind Another Remaster/Remake Until PS6
The only true advantage of Naughty Dog releasing a remake for The Last of Us Part 2 would be that once it is out, the developer would have nothing more from the IP to shield itself with until the next PlayStation console. It can be expected now that Naughty Dog and PlayStation will try to regurgitate the IP every console generation, and without anything else to remaster or remake, it would hopefully pigeonhole Naughty Dog into creating new content instead.
Of course, Naughty Dog does have a standalone multiplayer spin-off for The Last of Us in development and that would have been a great way to tide fans over while a Part 3 or other spin-off was also in the works, but now that it’s reportedly “on ice” it is likely not going to be heard of again for quite some time. Meanwhile, it’s unclear if Naughty Dog had always planned to remaster The Last of Us Part 2, if that’s indeed true at all, but the developer has already set a precedent fans are unhappy with.
A remaster of The Last of Us Part 2 is rumored to be in development.
