Summary
Having just turned 10 years old,The Last of Usfinds itself in an incredibly fortunate spot, being more popular than it ever has been before. WhileThe Last of Usmade an immediate and gigantic impact on the gaming industry back in 2013, its fanbase has only continued to grow since then, with this year marking a particularly incredible year for the franchise, withThe Last of UsHBO showbringing in more fans than Naughty Dog probably ever thought was possible.
With such momentum behind it, it’s only natural thatThe Last of Usshows no signs of stopping anytime soon, with at least two big projects on the horizon, and potentially even more in the pipeline that haven’t been announced just yet. But while it would be great to see more synergy between all of its upcoming projects, any crossovers infutureLast of Usmedianeed to be handled very carefully.
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The Last of Us Needs to Make Its Crossovers Count
There are currently two bigLast of Usprojects officially in the works, those being theLast of Usmultiplayer game, and the second season of the HBO show. Right now, both are in a little trouble behind the scenes. OnThe Last of Usmultiplayer’s side, there are apparently some issues relating to the game’s live-service approach, with Bungie reportedly being tasked by PlayStation to assess and resolve the situation.The Last of UsSeason 2 is also strugglingat the minute, with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes delaying the show’s production significantly.
But while both projects may be undergoing some issues, both are almost guaranteed to eventually see the light of day, withThe Last of Usbeing one of PlayStation’s biggest IPs at the minute. When these projects are finally released, it seems likely that PlayStation will want to connect the two in some way, as general rules of brand synergy would dictate. But any crossovers between theseupcomingLast of Usprojects- and those that came before them - need to be handled with a great deal of care.
WithThe Last of Usmultiplayer presumably being a live-service game, it naturally lends itself to a number of crossovers with previous or futureLast of Usinstallments. The easiest form of crossover in this scenario would be cosmetics based on fan-favorite characters from both the past games and the ongoing show, such as Joel’s winter jacket, or Ellie’s red sunset t-shirt. But while those cosmetics would act as fun references,The Last of Usmultiplayershouldn’t just add them for the sake of it, but instead incorporate them into the game’s world and story.
IfThe Last of Usmultiplayer is going to crossover with otherLast of Usprojects, then those crossovers need to hold some narrative weight, or else it could feel a little cheap. It’s not enough for players to just find iconic pieces of clothing lying around the map randomly, they instead need to be integrated within the game naturally, such as having players visit a location where Joel and Ellie have previously stayed. IfThe Last of Usmultiplayer really wanted to go above and beyond then it could even include a cameo of the post-apocalyptic duo, giving players something much more than just a cosmetic. Any potentialThe Last of Uscrossover needs to make logical sense within the world of the game, and it needs to reward the player with more than just a fleeting moment of fan service.
