The Last of Us 2: Sony studios are congratulating Naughty Dog with amazing crossover art

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The Last of Us 2/Ghost of Tsushima crossover you didn't know you needed

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

At long last, The Last of Us 2 is out in the wild. The much-anticipated sequel has launched to near-universal acclaim, and developers are congratulating Naughty Dog in wonderfully creative ways. Prominent devs including Bend Studio, Sucker Punch, Media Molecule, SCE Japan, and Cory Barlog went as far as to create some wonderful crossover art.

Bend Studio, who you'll remember for third-person zombie survival game Days Gone, shared this lovely image of protagonist Deacon trying to hitch a ride from Ellie, who's approaching on horseback with her signature smirk and naturally, a shotgun at her side.

Meanwhile, Ghost of Tsushima studio Sucker Punch tweeted this whimsical shot of Ellie plucking away at her guitar while nearby Tsushima protagonist Jin Sakai plays his flute (which you can actually do in Ghost of Tsushima). Cheers to Sucker Punch artist Edward Pun for the beautiful art, and be ready for Ghost of Tsushima to launch July 17.

Media Molecule took a break from working on updates to Dreams PS4 to share an incredible animation of Ellie playing guitar. The art was crafted in Dreams by Media Molecule Art Director Kareem Ettouney.

The studio behind Ape Escape joined the fun with an adorable depiction of Ellie camping out with a group of monkeys, some of which apparently wound up at the wrong end of an encounter with the infected from The Last of Us 2. Honestly, the monkeys don't seem to mind slowly being taken over by Cordyceps - the one with a giant Clicker mushroom stuck to its face is having a whale of a time.

God of War director Cory Barlog shared a touching work of art showing Ellie, Kratos Joel, Atreus, and Dina embracing in reference to a shot from Stand by Me. "It represents how I feel about every person who walks the unknown path, developers the world over. Our desire to create binds us all. You are all my friends, and I stand with you. Always. Even if I am just cheering from the sidelines," Barlog wrote of his congratulatory picture. The image is presented like a vintage polaroid, with the caption "PlayStation friends - June 19, 2020."

In-house Sony studio Pixelopus congratulated Naughty Dog for their "masterpiece" and shared their own crossover art. In the colorful image below, you'll see Ellie practicing her latest hobby with characters from Concrete Genie admiring her performance.

Now that you're all warm and fuzzy-feeling, read our conversation with writer Halley Gross about how The Last of Us 2 deals with "authentic trauma."

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.