The Last of Us

The Last of Us is a video game franchise blending action-adventure and post-apocalyptic survival horror, developed by studio Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Born in 2013 on PlayStation 3, it quickly rose to become a benchmark for narrative storytelling in the video game industry.

The Last of Us depicts a world ravaged by a fungal infection that transforms humans into zombie-like creatures called "infected". The first installment follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, on a mission to escort Ellie, an immune teenager, on a journey across a devastated United States. Praised for its skillful writing, nuanced protagonists and gameplay blending stealth and combat, The Last of Us upended the codes of the genre and swept up more than 250 "Game of the Year" awards, all while selling more than 20 million copies.

In 2014, The Last of Us: Left Behind, a standalone DLC, delves into Ellie's past. The Last of Us Part II (2020), on PlayStation 4, framed around Ellie's quest for vengeance, proved divisive but still won over audiences massively with 25 million sales. A remake of the first installment was also released in 2022 on PlayStation 5.

The franchise has recently found new resonance in a triumphant HBO series (two seasons released so far), further boosting the title's popularity.