The Last of Us first released on PlayStation 3 all the way back in 2013, and now it appears Sony has been quietly working on a remake.
A report from Jason Schreier for Bloomberg reveals some of the inner workings of Sony’s PlayStation Studios and how a remake for the beloved postapocalyptic action-adventure has been passed around. Visual Arts Service Group is a Sony-owned studio in San Diego that assists with a variety of the company’s projects, from games to movies, and the former director of the group Michael Mumbauer split off from Visual Arts to form a new studio. After amassing a team of around 30 people, they began work on a remake of The Last of Us for the PlayStation 5.
While the status of the project is currently unclear, it was reportedly handed off to original developer Naughty Dog relatively recently. The new studio was never given a name, and reportedly did not receive the support it needed to get the project completed. Mumbauer has since left the company, and the rest of the leadership at the new team has also disbanded. While this is likely good news for Last of Us fans, it paints a less than encouraging picture of Sony’s increased focus on blockbuster games.
In addition to word of a remake of The Last of Us—which in 2014 got a remastered edition for PS4, plus the DLC The Last of Us: Left Behind—Schreier also reports Oregon studio Sony Bend was not offered the opportunity to make a sequel to its 2019 game Days Gone. That’s especially curious considering the game was profitable, although it’s worth mentioning the development was somewhat troubled and the critical reception wasn’t exactly glowing.
After Days Gone 2 wasn’t given the go-ahead, Sony Bend was instead assigned to work on a new Uncharted game with home studio Naughty Dog offering support, while another team at the studio started work on an untitled multiplayer game with Naughty Dog. Some at Sony Bend expressed concern the studio would be absorbed into Naughty Dog, resulting in the departure of several lead developers. The leadership at the studio requested to be taken off the Uncharted game, and last month saw them get the green light to work a new game as part of a fresh franchise.
The status of the Uncharted game is unclear, but there’s a possibility it was handed off to a different studio similar to the Last of Us PS5 remake. Interestingly, it’s also been suggested that the remake of The Last of Us could be bundled with a PS5 version of the sequel, which released on PS4 last June.
HBO also has a Last of Us series adaptation on the way starring Game of Thrones stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
