It's officially been a year since The Last of Us 2 launched, and a lot has changed in the world and in the video game industry in that relatively short amount of time. While The Last of Us 2 launched during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic, things finally seem to be looking up. The past year also saw the arrival of next-gen consoles, making The Last of Us 2 one of the last PS4 exclusives at the end of an insane generation of gaming.
But for all its success and critical acclaim, not everything about The Last of Us 2 launch went smoothly. The game divided the fanbase between those that loved it and those that hated it, and there was hardly any room for a middle ground. The sudden death of a certain character in the opening act of the game leaked right before launch, souring many players' opinions before they'd even had the chance to play. Naughty Dog told an ambitious story intended to challenge player bias, and while some loved it, others felt it missed the mark and betrayed the beloved characters.
The Last of Us 2 Has Had a Huge Year
To say that The Last of Us 2 had a successful first year would be a severe understatement. While it did suffer from some review bombing on Metacritic, the critic reviews are glowing and The Last of Us 2 swept everyone away at the Game Awards, for better or for worse. The Last of Us 2 overtook CD Projekt Red's masterpiece, The Witcher 3, as the most awarded game of all time. That accomplishment can't be taken lightly, and other upcoming games like God of War: Ragnarok and The Day Before are looking at The Last of Us 2 for inspiration.
The Last of Us 2 has been breaking records all year long, starting in the first three days of its release. The game sold four million copies in the first three days, making it the fastest-selling PS4 exclusive of all time. It broke Sony's digital sales record with 2.8 digital copies sold within the first month, surpassing the previous co-record holders, Marvel's Spider-Man and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It was one of the top-selling games of 2020 even considering all the controversy surrounding it, which is quite the accomplishment. If certain plot details hadn't leaked just before the release, sales might have soared even higher.
The Last of Us 2 received a few updates this year as well, including a grounded and permadeath mode as well as a PS5 performance patch. The Last of Us 2 multiplayer is reportedly in development and many fans are eagerly awaiting it, but Naughty Dog has been quiet. There have been rumors of a single-player DLC starring Abby as well, but so far nothing has come from that. Hopefully multiplayer makes an entrance this year as the spiritual successor to "Factions" in the first game.
This Year, The Last of Us HBO Adaptation Cast Joel and Ellie
There was a seven-year gap between The Last of Us and The Last of Us 2, during which not a whole lot happened. There were rumors about the HBO adaptation but it was too early in pre-production to have much confirmed, and every once in a while there was a little bit of news about The Last of Us 2 itself. The game was highly anticipated and lived up to that hype for many, but not much else was going on.
Now, The Last of Us has become a huge deal. The first game was incredibly successful, but the second game brought The Last of Us back into the spotlight in a major way. Not every aspect of that spotlight was a good thing, but the game sold very well and brought in a ton of awards for Naughty Dog. Sony took notice, and The Last of Us franchise is only getting bigger.
The HBO adaptation is official; it's happening, and it has its cast. The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal and Game of Thrones' Bella Ramsey are confirmed to star in the show as Joel and Ellie, and one fan's impressive deepfake set high expectations for the series. With Craig Mazin, the creator of HBO's acclaimed Chernobyl mini-series, at the helm, The Last of Us could be one of the first video games to get a TV adaptation that does the original story justice.
The Next Installment in The Last of Us Series Will Reportedly Be a Remake
It has been reported that a remake of the original The Last of Us is in production. Not everyone is happy about that, seeing as the game isn't that old and still holds up remarkably well, but The Last of Us Remake could do some cool things to bring the first chapter of the story into next-gen. The graphics and facial animations in The Last of Us 2 were a big selling point, and it would be great to see The Last of Us brought up to that level.
So far, The Last of Us 3 hasn't been confirmed and is not in production, but Neil Druckmann has stated that the outline is written up. For such a successful franchise, a third game seems almost inevitable. There have been a ton of announcements related to The Last of Us in the year since the release of TLOU 2, and with a TV show and remake in the works, it's not going away.
It's possible that the rumored DLC diving into Abby's past will be in The Last of Us Remake. One of the biggest concerns fans have about the remake is the possibility of adding references to Abby rather than staying true to the original. Adding Abby as the star of a DLC rather than including her in the main game would be better, but some fans would rather Abby stay out of the picture altogether.
Is There Still Controversy Surrounding The Last of Us 2?
The controversy surrounding The Last of Us 2 may never really go away. There are still tons of players who waited 7 years for a game that was a huge disappointment to them, and that's unlikely to change. If Abby is included in The Last of Us 3, whenever it comes out, the controversy will surely come back in full force. There was also some discord about the game's representation of its transgender character Lev, with some being unhappy about the way he was portrayed. Going forward, that could also be a point of conflict.
However, the game is no longer as controversial as it once was. Now, the players who are still engaging with The Last of Us 2 content are the ones who enjoyed it, and players who didn't have moved on to games they do enjoy. There are some negative posts on Reddit and comments on YouTube, but it's nowhere close to what it was when the game released. A lot of the controversy also stemmed from shock, and a year later that shock has worn off and allowed fans to take a second look at the game and the story.
The Last of Us 2 will be remembered for its amazing achievements and innovations, but it will also be remembered as one of the most divisive games in history. No matter how much time passes, that will always be part of its legacy. Fans who hated the game and fans who loved it all have one thing in common: The Last of Us 2 made a huge impression on them both.
The Last of Us 2 is available now on PS4.
