After the success ofThe Last of Ustelevision adaptation, all eyes were on the PC adaptation. Unfortunately, things haven’t played out as expected. To the disappointment of many,The Last of Us Part 1launched with technical issues, leading to many players review-bombing the game on Steam.Naughty Dog has acknowledged the issuesand a patch has been released to address some of the problems, but it has already left a sour taste in the mouths of many.
The Last of Us Part 1’s reception could be a bad sign for anyone hoping thatThe Last of Us Part 2will make its way to PC. Although the thought of the groundbreaking game being ported is exciting, the recent failure may make Naughty Dog cut their losses and play things safe. Sony has been rapidly expanding into the PC market, but as the latest port is showing, not all games will nail their landing.
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The Last of Us Part 1 Launches on PC
The Last of Usdebuted in 2013 on PS3. When Naughty Dog announced that the game would also receive aPS5 remake, titledThe Last of Us Part 1,it did raise some suspicion, though there were plenty of improvements made to justify the entry fee. In addition to improved visuals and audio, there was also improved enemy AI, making encounters with foes more intense. This version of the game was recently ported to PC, though fans were less than impressed with what they received.
There is a litany of glitches and technical issues, along withlong loading times forThe Last of Us Part 1. Users have also reported frequent crashes and stuttering frame rates. This is quite shocking, as Naughty Dog is a studio known for its assiduousness. It should be noted that this port was developed by Iron Galaxy, a studio that developed the notoriously bad PC port ofBatman: Arkham Knight. Since launch,The Last of Us Part 1on PC has been review-bombed on Steam, and it currently sits with mostly negative reviews from users. On Metacritic, it has a disappointing user score of 1.9. This does not paint a good picture of the franchise’s future on PC.
The Future of The Last of Us On PC
On the surface, it is obvious whyThe Last of Usleaped to PC. With the success of the television series, the franchise has grown bigger than ever, and a PC port makes it possible for more fans to play through Joel and Ellie’s adventure. Although similar PlayStation franchises such asUnchartedandGod of Warhave successfully made the transition to PC, it may not be in the cards forThe Last of Us.
For a studio that is as detail-oriented and dedicated to perfectionism as Naughty Dog, failed projects are a huge blight, and this may motivate the studio to shy away from making further attempts to portThe Last of Ustitles to PC. While this is disappointing, as it lowers the odds ofThe Last of Us Part 2making it to PC, it also means Naughty Dog can invest more of its resources into ensuring its console experiences are polished to perfection.
Fortunately, there is still plenty moreThe Last of Usfun to look forward to. This includes thetelevision adaptation ofThe Last of Us Part 2, as well as the release of the long-awaited standalone multiplayer game. ThoughThe Last of Usmay be struggling to gain its footing on the PC market, it is still thriving on consoles and television screens.
The Last of Us Part 1is available now on PC and PS5.
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