The Last of Us is an action-adventure video game franchise created by Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic United States ravaged by cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated fungus in the genus Cordyceps. It follows several survivors, including Joel, a smuggler who lost his daughter during the outbreak; Ellie, a young girl who is immune to the infection; and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult. The games use a third-person perspective in which the player fights against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures with firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth.
Game director Bruce Straley and creative director Neil Druckmann led the development of the first game, The Last of Us, which was released for PlayStation 3 in June 2013. A downloadable content addition, The Last of Us: Left Behind, was released in February 2014 and follows Ellie and her best friend Riley. A remastered version, The Last of Us Remastered, was released for PlayStation 4 in July 2014. Druckmann continued to lead the development of a sequel, The Last of Us Part II, which was released for PlayStation 4 in June 2020. A remake of the first game, titled The Last of Us Part I, was released for PlayStation 5 in September 2022, and Windows in March 2023. An untitled multiplayer game is in development.
The series has received critical acclaim and has won numerous awards, including several Game of the Year recognitions; the first game has been cited as one of the greatest video games ever made, and the second won more than 320 Game of the Year awards. Games in the series are among the best-selling PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 games. As of January 2023, the franchise has sold over 37 million games worldwide. Strong sales and support of the series led to the franchise's expansion into other media, including a comic book in 2013, live show in 2014, television adaptation by HBO and haunted house by Universal Studios in 2023, upcoming tabletop game by Themeborne in 2024, and an upcoming tabletop game by CMON.
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The Last of Us was released for PlayStation 3 on June 14, 2013. A remastered version, titled The Last of Us Remastered, was released for PlayStation 4 in July 2014. Twenty years after losing his daughter Sarah during the outbreak of the mutant Cordyceps fungus, Joel is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl who is immune to the infection, across a post-apocalyptic United States so the revolutionary group Fireflies can potentially create a cure. Throughout their journey, the two become closer after experiencing several traumatic events. After arriving in Salt Lake City, Ellie is prepared for surgery, which will involve killing her. Unwilling to let her die, Joel battles his way to the operating room, kills the lead surgeon, and carries the unconscious Ellie to safety. When Ellie wakes up, Joel lies to her, stating the attempts to create a cure had failed.
The Last of Us: Left Behind was released for PlayStation 3 on February 14, 2014. A downloadable expansion pack of The Last of Us, Left Behind was included in Remastered for PlayStation 4 in 2014, and was released as a stand-alone expansion pack for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on May 12, 2015. It is set three weeks before the events of the main game, following Ellie as she spends time with her best friend Riley in an abandoned mall in Boston. Riley reveals she has been assigned to a group of Fireflies in a different city. Ellie tearfully begs Riley not to leave; Riley agrees and rips her Firefly pendant off, prompting Ellie to kiss her. They are overrun by Infected and both bitten. They briefly consider shooting themselves to prevent the infection taking over them, but instead choose to spend their final hours together.