The Last Of Us Franchise Has Made Over A Billion Dollars In Revenue

The Last of Us franchise has grossed a staggering $1 billion in revenue worldwide as of 2020, according to the LinkedIn profile of ex-studio head Michael Mumbauer. Naughty Dog’s adventure game series was mentioned alongside other popular Sony IPs like God of War and Uncharted as “billion-dollar franchises. And, considering the recent popularity of the show and the remake, this number might be even more substantial now.

Being a former PlayStation Senior Director of Visual Arts, Mumbauer helped co-develop major exclusives like The Last of Us and Uncharted. Hence, he would know how much revenue the games brought in especially considering how he oversaw the important development aspects like visuals.

But, do keep in mind that this info is only correct as of November as Mumbauer left PlayStation afterward. 2020’s The Last of Us Part II was his last project before he parted ways to join That’s No Moon. Consequently, this figure is only true for 2020 and could be much larger than the vague $1 billion landmark. Since the release of the second game in the franchise, the series has grown exponentially in popularity.

HBO’s adaptation of the video game, which came out this year, is a big reason for this brand-new fame. Sony also released a remake of the first game titled Last of Us Part I for PlayStation 5 back in September of 2022. And, even though it was kind of a mess, a PC port also launched in March after the show’s success. Therefore, the revenue from the action-adventure franchise could be much higher now.

In addition, the future of The Last of Us is only indicating more success. Naughty Dog’s long-awaited co-op multiplayer game based on the IP is reportedly getting a reveal in the upcoming PlayStation Showcase. With brand-new characters and a fresh story, the hype for this upcoming project is through the roof. And, the popularity of the show has only brought more attention to this upcoming title so it could do big numbers.

HBO also renewed the TV show for another season following ground-breaking ratings across nine episodes. If creator Neil Druckmann gets his way, The Last of Us Part II will be adapted over two seasons. Therefore, fans will get tons of content from the franchise in the upcoming years. Even with all of this success, there is no certainty a third mainline entry will release.

Sony or Naughty Dog have not confirmed the development of a third game as of yet. Moreover, Druckmann also said a sequel to The Last of Us Part II will only get made if there is a story to tell. Hence, only time can tell if we see a sequel to Ellie’s story or not. Whatever the case, the franchise is breaking records, making tons of money, and fans have a lot to look forward to.