The Last of Us Part I

Cover art for the standard edition of the game, depicting protagonists Joel and Ellie

### Director

Shaun Escayg
Matthew Gallant

### Composer(s)

Gustavo Santaolalla
Mac Quayle

### Platforms

PlayStation 5
PC

### Release

**PlayStation 5**:
September 2, 2022

**PC**:
March 3rd, 2023

### Genre(s)

Action-adventure, third-person shooter, survival-horror, stealth

### Mode(s)

Single-player

***The Last of Us Part I*** is a 2022 action-adventure third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5 and personal computers. It is a remake of 2013's *The Last of Us* and its *Left Behind* story expansion.

The remake follows the same plot as the original 2013 game, featuring protagonists Joel and Ellie as they journey across a post-apocalyptic United States, infested by man-eating creatures called the Infected. Gameplay is presented from third-person perspective and combines elements of shooters, stealth and horror while incorporating technical improvements and accessibility options previously introduced in 2020's *The Last of Us Part II*.

Development began in 2019 at a team within Sony's Visual Arts Services Group to prove its ability to produce video games, but moved to Naughty Dog after newly-elected PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst examined the project and its budget. At Naughty Dog, the project was headed by long-time studio veterans Matthew Gallant and Shaun Escayg, who both previously worked on the original game. The remake's existence was revealed by a Bloomberg report in April 2021, and was officially announced in June 2022. Pre-release reception to *Part I* was mixed, with critics and players questioning the remake's existence, necessity and price tag.

*The Last of Us Part I* received positive reviews, with several reviewers calling it the definitive version of *The Last of Us*, though most considered it unessential. Praise was directed at the graphical upgrades, animations, controls updates and accessibility options, while criticism highlighted the largely unchanged gameplay and design as well as omission of multiplayer mode in light of the remake's price tag. The PC version of the game received mixed reviews, with criticism towards its demanding hardware specifications and numerous technical issues presented at launch. The PS5 version was nominated for several end-year accolades, particularly for the visuals and accessibility options.

## Development

The idea of a remake for *The Last of Us*, which was originally developed by Naughty Dog and released in 2013, was conceived at Visual Art Service Group (VASG) by then-senior director Michael Mumbauer in 2018. Mumbauer, who previously worked in collaboration on various Sony titles including Naughty Dog's titles, wanted to establish a development team within VASG and managed to assemble around 30 developers from neighboring studios. Due to the risks and objections involving pitching original concepts, Mumbauer and his team originally intended to remake Naughty Dog's earlier game, 2007's *Uncharted: Drake's Fortune*, but due to difficulties and costs regarding the remaking of an older game, the team decided to remake *The Last of Us*.

The remake project, dubbed "T1X", was approved by Sony Interactive Entertainment on a probationary basis, but Mumbauer's team received little support in recruiting and budgeting while the existence of the studio was never officially acknowledged. Issues with Naughty Dog's next project, *The Last of Us Part II*, necessitated the involvement of VASG and Mumbauer's employees to help finish the project after its internal delay from 2019 to 2020. By November 2019, then-new PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst inspected project T1X and assigned Naughty Dog to support Mumbauer's team, which Mumbauer saw as stripping his team from their autonomy.

Naughty Dog's involvement gradually outplaced VASG's work as the remake moved to be produced on Naughty Dog's budget. By November 2020, several members of VASG including Mumbauer left the team due to the new development dynamics. In April 2021, Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier reported of the remake's existence and development cycle up to that point.

For the PC release of the remake, Naughty Dog worked with Iron Galaxy, a partnership that was confirmed on March 9, 2023. Iron Galaxy previously worked on the PC version of 2022's *Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection*.

## Release

*The Last of Us Part I* was officially announced at Summer Game Fest on June 9, 2022; the game's trailer and special editions were leaked earlier by the official PlayStation store. The game is set to release on September 2, 2022 for the PlayStation 5. A PC version is also in development, set to be released at a later date.

## Reception

### Pre-release

GamesRadar's Ali Jones criticized the variety of pre-order bonuses included within the remake's special editions, who felt those upgrades detracted from the original game's story of "scraping together everything you can to survive against the odds".

### Reviews

* MetaCritic: 88/100
* EGM: 10/10
* GameSpot: 8/10
* IGN: 9/10
* PlayStation Universe: 9/10
* PushSquare: 8/10
* VGC: 5/5

*The Last of Us Part I* received highly positive reviews.

### PC version

* Metacritic: 57/100

Unlike the PlayStation version, the PC version of *The Last of Us Part I* received mixed reviews.

### Sales

Upon the game's announcement, the Firefly Edition was sold out shortly after pre-orders were opened. By April 23, 2023, the PC version sold over 368,000 copies, generating revenue of $15.5 million for Sony.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.dualshockers.com/the-last-of-us-part-1-remake-pc-port-by-iron-galaxy/
2. ↑ https://www.gamesradar.com/the-last-of-us-part-1-firefly-edition-lets-you-ruin-the-early-game-for-dollar10/
3. ↑ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-last-of-us-remake-special-editions-firefly-pre-order-bonuses/
4. ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2023/05/key-playstation-studios-titles-on-pc-expected-to-sustain-growth-beyond-fy22