Update: The latest rumor is that the Last of Us remake could hit PS5 this holiday season
Rumors have been circulating since last April that a PS5 remake of The Last of Us is in development, and according to one industry source the project is “nearly finished and could release during the latter half of 2022.”
This tipoff comes via Tom Henderson and has got the passionate PlayStation community extremely excited. Henderson is an industry insider with a fairly solid track record, so it’s highly probable there’s at least some truth to his information. Other sources, including VGC, have also independently verified Henderson's claim.
Heard from multiple people now that the TLOU remake is nearly finished and could release during the latter half of 2022🧐 pic.twitter.com/ZxmNU7zS9kJanuary 5, 2022
Internet sleuths had already been alerted that something The Last of Us related may be in the pipeline after Sony’s debuted a new PlayStation Productions sizzle reel at CES 2022. The main characters of The Last of Us, Joel and Ellie, are featured in the clip, but their character models look a little different. This had led to speculation that these are reworked models for the remake.
According to a Bloomberg report from April 2021, The Last of Us remake was originally in development at Playstation’s Visual Arts Service Group before switching over to Naughty Dog in mid-2020 after the studio finished work on The Last of Us Part 2. The Santa Monica-based developer is responsible for creating The Last of Us in the first place, so the remake would be in good hands.
The Last of Us first launched in 2013 on the PS3 and was subsequently ported to the PS4 in 2014 in the form The Last of Us Remastered. However, this PS5 remake would likely offer a more substantial upgrade, presumably keeping the core gameplay and story intact but significantly overhauling the visuals. While it certainly seems likely this project is real, it hasn’t officially been announced yet so take these rumors with a grain of salt.
According to another social post by Henderson, The Last of Us Remake isn’t the only project set within the post-apocalyptic franchise being worked on. The long-rumored The Last of Us Part 2 Multiplayer (also known as Factions 2) is tipped to launch alongside The Last of Us Part 2: Director’s Cut but Henderson doesn’t know exactly when these are coming.
With TLOU2 MP and TLOU 2 directors cut - I've heard they are coming too - But I don't know exactly when/how. Them all releasing together could be a good compromise if GOW got delayed to Q1 2023 - But that's just speculation on my end for the moment.January 5, 2022
Sony has released multiple director’s cuts for some of its most popular PS4 exclusives including Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding. These PS5 native ports add richer visual fidelity, improved performance, and a smattering of new content. The Last of Us Part 2 has already been given a free performance upgrade on PS5, so if a director’s cut is indeed coming it’s not unreasonable to assume it will include some form of single-player DLC.
This apparent glut of The Last of Us games is well-timed. As Henderson points out, “the overall goal here is to drum up hype for the HBO show." The Last of Us HBO show has been shooting throughout 2021 and will star Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. We’ve not seen any footage yet, but we're expecting that to change soon.
With so many The Last of Us projects in the work, and seemingly all of them could feasibly launch in 2022, there is a danger that Sony may be giving us too much of a good thing? Of course, The Last of Us is one of the most popular series in PlayStation’s portfolio so anything new in the franchise will likely be received with great enthusiasm by gamers.
