Bryan McAllister’s personal reference notebook
July 30, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
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Kept by Bryan McAllister — short guides, clear facts, and the Canadian angle when it matters.
How It Works • Games & Tech

The Last of Us

The Last of Us is a video game franchise created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Updated July 30, 20261 min readCited sources

It began with a 2013 action-adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic United States devastated by a fungal infection.

What it is

The franchise is an action-adventure survival horror series set after a mutated Cordyceps fungus triggers a global outbreak. Players follow Joel, a smuggler, and Ellie, a girl immune to the infection, through a third-person game that blends combat, stealth, and scavenging. The story explores moral conflict in a collapsed society.

Key entries and adaptations

The original game released in 2013 was followed by The Last of Us Part II in 2020 and a remastered version in 2024. The franchise also expanded into an HBO television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, bringing the story to a wider audience.

Why it matters

The series has been widely distributed in Canada through Sony platforms and is part of the broader North American popular culture market. Its success on HBO further cemented its global influence, while the emotionally charged narrative set a benchmark for storytelling in video games.

In short

  • The franchise centres on a world where a mutated Cordyceps fungus causes a devastating outbreak.
  • Main characters include Joel, Ellie, and later Abby.
  • The series includes multiple video game entries and an HBO television adaptation.
  • It blends action-adventure with survival horror and stealth gameplay.
Canadian angle

The franchise has been widely distributed in Canada through Sony platforms and is part of the broader North American popular culture market. Canadian readers may also recognize the HBO television adaptation and the global success of the games.

Quick questions

When did The Last of Us first release?
The original game was released in 2013.
Who are the main characters?
The series prominently features Joel, Ellie, and later Abby.
Is there a television adaptation?
Yes. HBO released a television series based on the franchise.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us
    Supports: Franchise overview, setting, main characters, gameplay, latest release
  2. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us_(TV_series)
    Supports: Television adaptation and creators
  3. Simple English Wikipedia — https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us
    Supports: Original release date and genre