Rumors have persisted that Naughty Dog's next game is going to be a remake of the original Last of Us, built specifically for PlayStation 5 to take advantage of the next-generation console's beefier hardware. Naughty Dog and Sony both have yet to acknowledge those rumors, but it seems fans may learn about The Last of Us PS5 remake sooner rather than later.
Industry insider Jeff Grubb, while speaking on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, said that he's heard The Last of Us remake release date is scheduled for some point later this year. Grubb pointed out that The Last of Us 2 is nearly two years old at this point, meaning that Naughty Dog developers have likely had time to prepare The Last of Us remake since then. Not only that, but there's the upcoming Last of Us HBO series to keep in mind as well.
The Last of Us HBO show won't premiere until 2023, and so some might think that The Last of Us remake would release next year instead to be closer to the show's premiere date. However, there could be some value in making sure the game is already out and ready to buy by the time the show comes out. In the podcast, The Witcher is brought up as an example. Even though The Witcher 3 was already four years old by the time the Netflix series premiered, the show still caused a spike in the game's sales. The same could very well happen with The Last of Us remake when the HBO show premieres, assuming it's a success, that is.
The Last of Us remake isn't the only project that Naughty Dog is believed to be working on. Naughty Dog is also expected to be working on The Last of Us 2 multiplayer experience, though the jury is still out on what shape that may take. There are those who think it will be released as an update to The Last of Us 2, but others think The Last of Us 2 multiplayer will be standalone, which would make sense considering how long it's been since the single-player experience dropped.
A more recent rumor has suggested that The Last of Us 2 multiplayer will instead be tied to The Last of Us remake and will include a battle royale mode. This would be a surprising move, but it could be what convinces some gamers who think they have had their fill of The Last of Us to double-dip and pick up the original adventure again for PlayStation 5.
If The Last of Us remake is coming out this year, then one has to imagine that it will be revealed in the very near future. Sony has yet to announce its next showcase, but it's possible that it will have a presence at Summer Game Fest next month.
The Last of Us remake is rumored to be in development for PS5.