Boston transit map appears in The Last of Us without permission, creator says

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Naughty Dog apologizes for featuring design without permission

UPDATE: Naughty Dog and the designer have come to a mutual agreement, according to an update on his blog.

"I’ve just spoken with Naughty Dog over the phone in a very constructive conversation. Can’t say more at the moment, but it seems as if matters will be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction shortly. I can say that they do acknowledge their error in using my map and were very apologetic for it. I likewise apologized for my initial vitriolic post. A lot of mutual respect for each other’s creative work."

Note that Booth's map differs from the official Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority map--it's meant to present the same information in a streamlined, easier-to-read format. Booth actually refrained from submitting the map to an official MBTA contest because he would have lost all rights to it. Looks like he already lost those rights in The Last of Us' virtual world, unfortunately.

This isn't the first unlicensed likeness dispute to mar Naughty Dogs' latest title, though Ellen Page's resemblance to main character Ellie is much more open to interpretation.

Booth has since tweeted that he had a "very constructive phone conversation" with Naughty Dog and the issue will soon be resolved to everyone's satisfaction. We asked the Sony-owned developer about his concerns and will update this story with any response.

Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan
Former GamesRadar+ News Writer

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar+.