HBO’s The Last of Us Renewed for Season 2

The Last of Us has officially been renewed for Season 2, HBO announced today. It follows a debut that was watched by 22 million viewers domestically and quickly became a hot topic on social media.

Following the announcement, executive producer and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has confirmed in a tweet (below) that the second season will follow The Last of Us: Part 2 game, just as the show’s first season is based on the original The Last of Us game (later rebranded as Part 1).

Rumblings of a second season were already underway despite only two episodes of The Last of Us having aired, led by star Bella Ramsey who said a renewal was likely if viewership remains high.

Part II —> HBO https://t.co/dJxiggcFDR

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) January 27, 2023

Episode 2 pulling in 22% more viewers on its opening night than Episode 1 – the largest week two audience growth for any HBO original drama ever – was seemingly enough to convince the network to lock in a second season.

“I’m humbled, honored, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey,” said Druckmann.

“The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast and crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations. Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with Season 2! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog and PlayStation, thank you.”

Fellow executive producer Craig Mazin added: “I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey. The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.”

The first episode of The Last of Us was uploaded to YouTube for free ahead of the Season 2 announcement as HBO looks to draw in even more viewers to its adaptation. While the show has remained largely faithful to the original PlayStation game, it’s also not been afraid to shake things up, and fans can see how the story of Joel and Ellie continues (alongside Nick Offerman’s Bill) in Episode 3 on January 29.

In our 9/10 review of Season 1, IGN said: “HBO’s The Last of Us is a stunning adaptation that should thrill newcomers and enrich those already familiar with Joel and Ellie’s journey alike.”

Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include Neil Druckmann’s tweet.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.