At long last, The Last of Us 2 is out in the wild. The much-anticipated sequel has launched to near-universal acclaim, and developers are congratulating Naughty Dog in wonderfully creative ways. Prominent devs including Bend Studio, Sucker Punch, Media Molecule, SCE Japan, and Cory Barlog went as far as to create some wonderful crossover art.
Bend Studio, who you'll remember for third-person zombie survival game Days Gone, shared this lovely image of protagonist Deacon trying to hitch a ride from Ellie, who's approaching on horseback with her signature smirk and naturally, a shotgun at her side.
Congratulations to all of our friends over at @Naughty_Dog on the long-awaited release of #TheLastofUsPartII! Mind if we hitch a ride? #TLOU2 #DaysGone pic.twitter.com/ao71x8yhrrJune 19, 2020
Meanwhile, Ghost of Tsushima studio Sucker Punch tweeted this whimsical shot of Ellie plucking away at her guitar while nearby Tsushima protagonist Jin Sakai plays his flute (which you can actually do in Ghost of Tsushima). Cheers to Sucker Punch artist Edward Pun for the beautiful art, and be ready for Ghost of Tsushima to launch July 17.
A gigantic and well-deserved CONGRATULATIONS to our friends at @Naughty_Dog on the launch of #TheLastofUsPartII today! We can't wait to play all weekend! (art by Sucker Punch artist @EdwardPun1!) pic.twitter.com/MmGgwuZT08June 19, 2020
Media Molecule took a break from working on updates to Dreams PS4 to share an incredible animation of Ellie playing guitar. The art was crafted in Dreams by Media Molecule Art Director Kareem Ettouney.
From everyone at Media Molecule, congratulations to @Naughty_Dog on launch day! This art piece was created by our Art Director, Kareem Ettouney, in #DreamsPS4. #MadeInDreams 💖🌺 pic.twitter.com/3f78pn3SY4June 19, 2020
The studio behind Ape Escape joined the fun with an adorable depiction of Ellie camping out with a group of monkeys, some of which apparently wound up at the wrong end of an encounter with the infected from The Last of Us 2. Honestly, the monkeys don't seem to mind slowly being taken over by Cordyceps - the one with a giant Clicker mushroom stuck to its face is having a whale of a time.
#サルゲッチュ #サルゲッチュ20th #TheLastofUsPartII pic.twitter.com/c9g7mYa2vXJune 19, 2020
God of War director Cory Barlog shared a touching work of art showing Ellie, Kratos Joel, Atreus, and Dina embracing in reference to a shot from Stand by Me. "It represents how I feel about every person who walks the unknown path, developers the world over. Our desire to create binds us all. You are all my friends, and I stand with you. Always. Even if I am just cheering from the sidelines," Barlog wrote of his congratulatory picture. The image is presented like a vintage polaroid, with the caption "PlayStation friends - June 19, 2020."
“I will never have friends like the ones I have with PlayStation. Jesus, does anyone?”Huzzah my @Naughty_Dog friends. What you have done is nothing short of astonishing. It made me tense, anxious, excited, sad and jealous I didn’t make it.Proud of you.❤️Image: Luke Berliner pic.twitter.com/izZSeHT3QuJune 19, 2020
In-house Sony studio Pixelopus congratulated Naughty Dog for their "masterpiece" and shared their own crossover art. In the colorful image below, you'll see Ellie practicing her latest hobby with characters from Concrete Genie admiring her performance.
To our friends, and inspirational colleagues @Naughty_Dog - congratulations once again for launching a true masterpiece in #TheLastofUsPartII. We are so happy for all of you! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/TxFF7Bp6pUJune 20, 2020
Now that you're all warm and fuzzy-feeling, read our conversation with writer Halley Gross about how The Last of Us 2 deals with "authentic trauma."
