A reference to a “remastered” version of The Last of Us Part 2 has been spotted on developer Naughty Dog’s profile, lending further credence to suggestions that a remastered version of the 2020 PlayStation 4 game is on the way.
Hints that an expanded version of The Last of Us Part 2 is in development at Naughty Dog first appeared in July, when the game’s author, Gustavo Santaolalla, referred to a “new version” that would enable players to interact with his banjo playing. In Jackson, he chooses from a number of songs he can play.
Santaolalla didn’t share any other details beyond that, leaving fans to ponder exactly what kind of “remake” he might be referring to, but now, thanks to a now-removed update on the LinkedIn profile of Naughty Dog lead artist Mark Pajarello ( I also spotted him On Resetera), we may finally have a clearer idea.
Pajarillo — who worked as an environment artist on the original release of The Last of Us Part 2, as well as other Naughty Dog games including Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy — wrote that as the studio’s lead artist, he was “responsible for overseeing the production of all outdoor environments And interactive art, weapons and props for two popular titles: The Last of Us Part One and The Last of Us 2: Remastered.
While the remaster of The Last of Us Part 2 — a three-and-a-half-year-old PlayStation 4 game that was already optimized for PlayStation 5 — may raise some eyebrows, the new version polishes the game to a similar level that’s sure to be impressive. From Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 1 would make some sense – especially with the renewed interest that will likely come as HBO’s live-action The Last of Us series begins adapting Part 2 across likely multiple seasons.
For its part, Naughty Dog is remaining tight-lipped about projects in development at the studio. The Last of Us multiplayer game, which was announced in 2019, has reportedly run into problems after the now Sony-owned Bungie raised concerns about its “ability to keep players engaged for a long period of time” once again. It’s May, and we’ve heard nothing more about the “all-new single-player experience” that Naughty Dog teased at the same time. As for the third part of The Last of Us, it has not yet been announced, but early details have already leaked online.