The Last of Us: Unveiling a Multitude of Exciting Future Endeavors

PlayStation has been steadily creating its own collection of first-party, single-player IPs in the past decade. The Last of Us was among the initial Sony exclusives in this new wave. However, the Horizon franchise emerged shortly after and became one of PlayStation's most successful series, despite facing challenges with release schedules. In today's world, success often leads to a desire for replication, and PlayStation intends to do just that.

During a recent Develop: Brighton talk, Guerrilla Games' studio director Jan-Bart van Beek confirmed the existence of multiple projects within the Horizon franchise. These include the confirmed Horizon multiplayer game and the upcoming Netflix Horizon show. However, it seems that the studio has additional plans in progress. On the other hand, while the Horizon franchise has numerous projects on the horizon, there may be even more development underway for The Last of Us.

Why The Last of Us Could Have More Projects in the Pipeline Than Horizon

The Last of Us has emerged as the more successful franchise in terms of sales figures, surpassing Horizon. As of January 2023, The Last of Us had sold a remarkable total of 37 million copies across the entire franchise, including its sequel and the Last of Us Part 1 remake. In comparison, Horizon had sold 32.7 million copies in its own franchise by May 2023. Although both franchises have achieved impressive numbers, The Last of Us holds a slight edge over Horizon, owing in part to its four-year head start.

However, one crucial factor sets The Last of Us apart as the more successful franchise: the highly acclaimed live-action adaptation on HBO. The Last of Us series on HBO has proven to be a monumental success, garnering critical acclaim and significantly expanding the franchise's audience. Following the premiere of the show, sales of The Last of Us Part 1 soared by an astonishing 238%. This remarkable increase is especially notable considering that the game was initially released in September 2022, months before HBO's show even aired.

Currently, The Last of Us is considered one of PlayStation's most popular intellectual properties. It is not surprising that Sony is actively seeking to release as much Last of Us content as possible, indicating that there may be more Last of Us projects in development than Horizon projects. At present, there are two confirmed Last of Us projects. The first is a Last of Us Multiplayer spinoff, which was announced a year ago but has since been shrouded in secrecy. It has been reported that Bungie is aiding in its development. The second confirmed project is the second season of HBO's The Last of Us. However, it is facing obstacles due to ongoing strikes among writers and actors. In addition to these two confirmed projects, recent leaks suggest the existence of a Last of Us Part 3. Allegedly, it will center around a new group of survivors vying for control of an old Victorian manor on the outskirts of a decaying city. Even if these leaks prove to be false, it is highly likely that a Last of Us Part 3 will be produced in the future, along with multiple spinoffs to fully capitalize on the franchise's ongoing success.

The Last of Us Part 1 is now available on PC and PS5.