Summary
On the whole,The Last of Usfranchise has a pretty clear penchant for Easter eggs and references. These include references to Naughty Dog’s own back catalog, a section ofThe Last of Us Part 1remaking the entire Dunder Mifflin office, and hidden collectibles strewn across the environment that point to fellow PlayStation greats.The Last of Us Part 1is filled with Easter eggs, andThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredcontinues that trend proudly.
WhileThe Last of Us Part 2already had plenty of excellent Easter eggs from the get-go, including iconic references toHotline Miami,Jak and Daxter, and plenty of fun callbacks to the first game,The Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredgoes above and beyond, adding in even more via the form of in-game cosmetics. Unlocked by completing challenges inThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode, players gain access to a slew of new shirts for both Ellie and Abby, most of which reference some iconic fellow video games. But while most of these references feel completely innocent, there’s one that’s gotten a particular fanbase talking.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s Killzone Shirt Could Be Teasing a Franchise Revival
Available when choosing a character inThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode, or in the options during the game’s story mode, players can equip Ellie with a whole slew of different shirts, with references toHotline Miami,Mortal Kombat,Destiny, andDeath Strandingall being present. Along with those, players can unlock a shirt inspired by theKillzonefranchise, depicting the Helghast Triad logo, and this seemingly small reference has caused quite a stir.
Debuting back in 2004,Killzonemay have never beenofficially called a “HaloKiller,” but it might as well have been for all intents and purposes. A Sci-Fi shooter franchise developed by Guerrilla Games,Killzonemay not have taken over the world quite like Sony would have wanted, but it did earn its fair share of critical praise over the years, and it built up a pretty loyal fanbase. Unfortunately, theKillzonefranchise was fairly short-lived, lasting just four mainline entries and two spinoffs over the course of nine years, with the lastKillzonegame,Killzone: Shadow Fall, dropping back in 2013 alongside the PS4’s launch.
TheKillzonefranchise has been completely dormant since 2013, and with Guerrilla Games now hard at work ontheHorizonfranchise, it seems unlikely that the studio will be returning to the Sci-Fi shooter series anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean that the demand isn’t there. Though thisLast of Us Part 2 Remasteredreference toKillzoneis probably nothing more than just a fun little Easter egg, it’s once again sparked theKillzonefanbase into action, and in 2024, there could easily be a place forKillzoneon Sony’s slate.
A Killzone Revival Could Work Wonders for Sony Right Now
A few years ago, Sony announced that it would be entering a new age of live-service development and that many of its first-party studios would be shifting their attention to the live-service genre. It’s no secret that it hasn’t really worked out for Sony like it wanted it to, withThe Last of Usmultiplayer now officially canceled, and Sony drastically paring back the number of live-service games it currently has in development. But that doesn’t mean that a live-service Sony first-party game couldn’t work, andKillzonecould be a great candidate.
Though a lack of a single-player mode would upset a lot of fans if it wasn’t present, aKillzonelive-service gamecould have a lot of potential, killing two birds with one stone by giving fans the revival they’ve been desperate for, while also adding another feather to Sony’s live-service cap. Of course, that’s much easier said than done, and there are a lot of obstacles in the way of getting a truly greatKillzonelive-service revival, but it wouldn’t be impossible.
