According to a new report, The Last of Us is reportedly being remade by Naughty Dog for PlayStation 5. The alleged remake was being made by a different studio initially, but the environment at Sony Interactive Entertainment has apparently led to an inflated focus on its largest first-party studios to the detriment of smaller ones, especially on the lead-up to last November’s PS5 launch.
Sony Interactive first-party studio Naughty Dog has hinted at its new games for a while now, and it now seems likely that a remake of 2013’s The Last of Us is one of them. The beloved game helped spawn a mature, acclaimed franchise for both the developer and SIE. As a flagship IP, many efforts have been made to expand it through a wildly successful sequel in The Last of Us Part II alleged multiplayer spin-offs, and even an HBO TV series. There’s evidently such a hunger for the series to remain active at Sony that the original game was ordered to be remade not even 8 years after its initial release for a new generation of PlayStation consoles.
A new Bloomberg report claims that a PlayStation support team (which typically assist larger studios finish animations, content, and more) known as Visual Arts Service Group was tasked with a remaking The Last of Us for PS5, with the alleged idea being to bundle the remake and a PS5 upgrade for The Last of Us 2 together. Ultimately, The Last of Us‘s remake has since fallen on series creator Naughty Dog’s shoulders and is currently in development.
Sometime in late 2019, SIE leadership reportedly looked at the in-development project and noted its high budget for a new, untested studio. Visual Arts Service Group founder Michael Mumbauer is reported to have argued that his team needed that budget to rework the games mechanics and overhaul its visuals for the PS5. Newly appointed head of PlayStation Worldwide Studios Herman Hulst allegedly disagreed and the project was shifted onto Naughty Dog. In a similar case of SIE micromanagement, a new Uncharted game is also reportedly in the works and was at one point under the direction of Days Gone developer Bend Studios under Naughty Dog supervision. Bend has apparently since withdrawn from that project, and it’s unclear who is developing the next Uncharted entry now.
With The Last of Us TV series for HBO also re-exploring the first game’s plot, a PS5 remake is an interesting direction to take so soon, especially after SIE revealed it will revoke support for digital downloads on older consoles like the PS3’s. A return to older IP may then seem counter-intuitive, but there’s little doubt that Sony knows what it’s doing.
Although SIE’s AAA development focus seems a bit jumbled right now, it’s clear there’s intense internal pressure to match the heights of the late-PS3 and entire PS4 generation. PlayStation has dominated the first-party exclusive front for about a decade, and its attempt to maintain that momentum may mean it will rehash its greatest hits, such as The Last of Us on PS5. Whether or not players will view this as a cynical move or be excited for the opportunity to play new software actually built for their shiny new consoles will likely be the deciding factor on whether or not it works.
