History of The Last of Us in Timeline
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic action-adventure series centered around survivors in a United States devastated by a Cordyceps fungus outbreak that turns people into cannibalistic creatures. The story primarily follows Joel, a hardened smuggler haunted by the loss of his daughter, and Ellie, a teenager immune to the infection, as they navigate a dangerous world. Another key character is Abby, a soldier embroiled in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult. Players utilize firearms, stealth, and improvised weapons to combat both human and infected enemies from a third-person perspective.
1968: Inspiration from Night of the Living Dead
In 1968, George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead inspired the zombie apocalypse setting for The Last of Us.
1991: Inspiration from Sin City
From 1991 to 2000, Sin City inspired the lead character of The Last of Us, drawing parallels with John Hartigan.
March 1999: Straley Joins Naughty Dog
Bruce Straley, who was employed at Naughty Dog in March 1999, was selected to lead the project based on his experience and his work on previous projects.
2000: Inspiration from Sin City
From 1991 to 2000, Sin City inspired the lead character of The Last of Us, drawing parallels with John Hartigan.
2001: Inspiration from Ico
In 2001, Ico served as an inspiration for the gameplay of The Last of Us, merging its mechanics with a zombie apocalypse story.
2004: Druckmann Joins Naughty Dog
Neil Druckmann, an employee since 2004, was chosen for his determination and talent for design about a year into the game's production.
October 2009: Preliminary Work Begins
Preliminary work on The Last of Us, under the codename "Project Thing" or "T1", began after the release of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves in October 2009.
2009: Newman and Margenau Hired
In 2009, Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau were hired during the development of Uncharted 2. They would later become co-game directors for The Last of Us Part II.
December 10, 2011: The Last of Us Announcement
On December 10, 2011, The Last of Us was announced at the Spike Video Game Awards, accompanied by its debut trailer, sparking anticipation within the gaming industry.
2011: Fastest Selling Game Since L.A. Noire
In 2011, The Last of Us was the biggest launch of an original game since L.A. Noire.
2011: Uncharted 3 Release
While one team developed Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception in 2011, the other began work on The Last of Us.
May 7, 2013: Release Date Delay
The Last of Us missed its original projected release date of May 7, 2013. The release was pushed to June 14, 2013, to allow for further polishing of the game.
June 14, 2013: The Last of Us Release
On June 14, 2013, The Last of Us was released for the PlayStation 3.
July 2013: Comic Book Miniseries Publication
From April to July 2013, Dark Horse Comics published The Last of Us: American Dreams, a four-issue comic book miniseries.
2013: Tenth-Best-Selling Game
In 2013, The Last of Us was the tenth-best-selling game of the year.
2013: Comic Book Release
In 2013, the strong sales and support of The Last of Us series led to the franchise's expansion into other media, including a comic book.
February 14, 2014: The Last of Us: Left Behind Release
On February 14, 2014, The Last of Us: Left Behind was released for the PlayStation 3.
February 2014: The Last of Us: Left Behind Release
In February 2014, The Last of Us: Left Behind, a downloadable content expansion, was released.
March 6, 2014: Film Adaptation Announcement
On March 6, 2014, Sony announced Screen Gems would distribute a film adaptation of The Last of Us, written by Druckmann and produced by Sam Raimi.
July 2014: The Last of Us Remastered Release
In July 2014, The Last of Us Remastered was released for the PlayStation 4.
July 28, 2014: The Last of Us: One Night Live
On July 28, 2014, The Last of Us cast performed a live reading of selected scenes, with live music, in Santa Monica, California.
2014: Development of Part II Begins
In 2014, Naughty Dog began development of The Last of Us Part II, soon after the release of The Last of Us Remastered.
2014: Live Show Release
In 2014, the strong sales and support of The Last of Us series led to the franchise's expansion into other media, including a live show.
January 2015: Second Draft of Film Script
By January 2015, Druckmann had written the second draft of The Last of Us film script and performed a read-through with some actors.
May 12, 2015: The Last of Us: Left Behind Stand-alone Release
On May 12, 2015, The Last of Us: Left Behind was released as a stand-alone expansion pack for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.
April 2016: Film Enters Development Hell
In April 2016, Druckmann stated the film adaptation of The Last of Us had entered development hell.
December 3, 2016: The Last of Us Part II Announcement
On December 3, 2016, The Last of Us Part II was officially announced at the PlayStation Experience event.
2016: Gallant's Work on Uncharted 4
In 2016, Matthew Gallant worked as a combat designer on Uncharted 4: A Thief's End before later directing The Last of Us Part I.
August 2017: Full Team Shift to Part II Development
In August 2017, after the release of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the entire 350-person team at Naughty Dog shifted to developing The Last of Us Part II, with Druckmann leading as creative director and writer.
April 2018: Sales Reach 17 Million
By April 2018, The Last of Us and Remastered had sold a total of 17 million copies.
June 2018: Multiplayer Mode Confirmed
In June 2018, Newman and Margenau confirmed the existence of a multiplayer mode for The Last of Us Part II at E3.
September 2019: Focus Shifts to Single-Player Campaign
In September 2019, Naughty Dog announced that The Last of Us Part II would focus solely on its single-player campaign, with the multiplayer mode being developed separately.
2019: Film Rights Relinquished
By 2019, the rights to the film adaptation of The Last of Us had been relinquished.
January 2020: Animated Short Film Adaptation
In January 2020, images surfaced of an animated short film adaptation of The Last of Us by production agency Oddfellows.
February 21, 2020: Part II Release Date Delay
The Last of Us Part II missed its original projected release date of February 21, 2020, and was initially pushed to May before being further delayed to June 19 due to COVID-19 related logistical problems.
March 2020: Television Adaptation Announcement
In March 2020, a television adaptation of The Last of Us was announced in the planning stages at HBO.
June 2020: The Last of Us Part II Release
In June 2020, The Last of Us Part II was released for the PlayStation 4.
June 19, 2020: The Last of Us Part II Release
On June 19, 2020, The Last of Us Part II was released for the PlayStation 4.
September 2020: The Last of Us: The Board Game Announced
On The Last of Us Day in September 2020, CMON announced it was developing The Last of Us: The Board Game, a tabletop game.
November 2020: Television Adaptation Greenlit
In November 2020, the television adaptation of The Last of Us was formally greenlit at HBO.
2020: Job Openings for Multiplayer
Following The Last of Us Part II's release in 2020, Naughty Dog increased its multiplayer-related job openings, signaling continued development in that area.
2020: Bailey Wins Best Performance
In 2020, Laura Bailey won Best Performance at the Game Awards for her role as Abby in The Last of Us Part II, defeating Ashley Johnson, who was nominated for her performance as Ellie.
2020: Escayg's Work on Marvel's Avengers
In 2020, Shaun Escayg worked as creative director and co-writer of Marvel's Avengers at Crystal Dynamics, before returning to Naughty Dog in April 2021.
2020: Part II Wins Innovation in Accessibility Award
The Last of Us Part II won the inaugural Innovation in Accessibility award at The Game Awards 2020.
April 2021: Outline for Story After Part II Written
By April 2021, Druckmann and Gross had written an outline for a story set after Part II, although it was not in active development. This story focused on Tommy.
April 2021: Part I Existence Reported and Escayg Returns
In April 2021, the existence of The Last of Us Part I was first reported, and Shaun Escayg returned to Naughty Dog.
July 2021: Filming for Season 1
Filming for the first season of The Last of Us took place in Alberta, Canada, from July 2021 to June 2022.
December 2021: Haunted House Idea
In December 2021, Druckmann broached the idea of a haunted house in a meeting after fans tagged both HHN and Naughty Dog on Twitter.
June 2022: Standalone Multiplayer Game Revealed
At Summer Game Fest in June 2022, Druckmann confirmed that The Last of Us would receive a standalone multiplayer release, revealing the first concept art.
June 2022: Part II Sales Exceed 10 Million
By June 2022, The Last of Us Part II had sold through over ten million copies worldwide.
June 2022: Filming for Season 1
Filming for the first season of The Last of Us took place in Alberta, Canada, from July 2021 to June 2022.
June 2022: Part I Announced
In June 2022, The Last of Us Part I was officially announced at Summer Game Fest.
September 2, 2022: The Last of Us Part I Release
On September 2, 2022, The Last of Us Part I was released for the PlayStation 5.
September 2022: The Last of Us Part I PS5 Release
In September 2022, The Last of Us Part I, a remake of the first game, was released for the PlayStation 5.
November 2022: The Last of Us: Escape the Dark Announced
In November 2022, The Last of Us: Escape the Dark, produced by Naughty Dog and Themeborne, was announced.
December 2022: Franchise Sales Reach 37 Million
As of December 2022, the entire The Last of Us franchise had sold more than 37 million copies.
January 15, 2023: The Last of Us HBO Premiere
On January 15, 2023, The Last of Us television series debuted on HBO and HBO Max.
January 2023: Franchise Sales Milestone
As of January 2023, The Last of Us franchise had sold over 37 million games, contributing to its expansion into other media.
January 2023: More Story to Tell
By January 2023, Druckmann stated that "there's more story to tell" regarding a possible third main installment in The Last of Us series.
March 2023: The Last of Us Part I Windows Release
In March 2023, The Last of Us Part I was released for Windows.
March 28, 2023: The Last of Us Part I Release
On March 28, 2023, The Last of Us Part I was released for Windows.
May 2023: Multiplayer Development Scaled Back
In May 2023, development of the standalone multiplayer game was scaled back, with many developers moved to other projects while Sony reassessed its direction.
2023: Animated Short Film Cancellation
In 2023, Druckmann said he had written a short story after the first game was released about Ellie's mother, which was intended to be adapted into an animated short film, but "it fell apart".
2023: Haunted House Attraction
To celebrate the first game's tenth anniversary in 2023, a haunted house was established at Universal Orlando from September 1 and Universal Studios Hollywood from September 7 as part of Halloween Horror Nights (HHN), ending October 31.
January 2024: The Last of Us Part II Remastered Release
In January 2024, The Last of Us Part II Remastered was released for the PlayStation 5.
August 2024: Filming for Season 2
Filming for the second season of The Last of Us took place in British Columbia from February to August 2024.
November 29, 2024: The Last of Us: Escape the Dark Release
On November 29, 2024, The Last of Us: Escape the Dark, produced by Naughty Dog and Themeborne, was released through Asmodee in the United States.
2024: Tabletop Game
In 2024, the strong sales and support of The Last of Us series led to the franchise's expansion into other media, including a tabletop game by Themeborne.
January 2025: Physical Experience Announcement
In January 2025, Druckmann announced a physical experience allowing users to fight against the infected in Seattle during the events of Part II with virtual weapons, immersive video, audio, and scent technologies, first exhibited at the Consumer Electronics Show.
March 2025: Possibility of No More Games
In March 2025, Druckmann suggested not to "bet on there being more of Last of Us", indicating the television series "could be it".
April 9, 2025: Television Series Renewal for Season 3
On April 9, 2025, HBO renewed The Last of Us series for a third season, ahead of the second's premiere.
April 10, 2025: Release of The Last of Us Complete (Digital)
On April 10, 2025, The Last of Us Complete—a digital bundle featuring Part I and Part II Remastered—was released.
April 2025: The Last of Us Part II Remastered Release
In April 2025, The Last of Us Part II Remastered was released for Windows.
April 2025: Premiere of Second Season
The second season of The Last of Us premiered in April 2025, starring Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, and Kaitlyn Dever as Abby.
December 16, 2025: Publication of The Last of Us: Part I and Part II Scripts
On December 16, 2025, Dark Horse Books published The Last of Us: Part I and Part II Scripts, a 618-page hardcover book.
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