Originally released in 2013 for the PS3, The Last of US is getting a PlayStation 5 update, reports Bloomberg.
Naughty Dog released a sequel, The Last of Us Part II, in 2020.
According to the publication, at some point a development unit within Sony that was headed up by Michael Mumbauer had started work on a Last of Us remake. Sources explain that Sony did approve of the remake on a probationary basis.
However, the report continues, Sony had never fully acknowledged the existence of this secretive team, which was jokingly called “Naughty Dog South,” nor provided the necessary funds or support to flesh out this fledging outfit and kick development into high gear. What the company apparently did do is shift the project to Naughty Dog.
The remake is reportedly codenamed T1X. Sources tell Bloomberg that Hermen Hulst, who was named head of PlayStation’s Worldwide Studios in November 2019, deemed the remake too expensive. (The reason for the added cost was incurred by the new hardware, it seems.) Bloomberg adds that when The Last of Us: Part II was pushed to 2020, Mumbauer’s team was called in to support Naughty Dog and help get the game over the finish line. However, by the end of the year, Mumbauer and most of his team had left Sony.
The remake is still in development at Sony, but with Naughty Dog at the helm and help from Sony’s Visual Arts Support Group.
Kotaku has reached out to Sony and will update this article should the company comment.