The Last of Us and Horizon tabletop RPGs may be on the way after Spin Master acquires merch rights

Spin Master has snagged the rights to create roleplay products, games, action figures, puzzles, and more based on PlayStation IP like Horizon and God of War.

As revealed in an official press release, the toy company has won a multi-year deal with Sony that allows it to become the "global master toy licensee for the [Sony Interactive Entertainment]'s PlayStation brand and SIE-owned PlayStation titles, including but not limited to God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last of Us, and Uncharted". 

Spin Master doesn't list specific planned products, but it does point out that the announcement comes ahead of HBO's upcoming The Last of Us TV show. With that in mind, tie-in merchandise and other gifts for gamers based on the series seem likely - though we won't see any of it until Spring 2024 at the earliest.

Although Spin Master notes that it will "develop products in the action figure, collectible, playset, plush, roleplay, vehicles, RC, and games & puzzles categories", the inclusion of roleplay in particular stands out. This could mean one of two things; either costume items and toys (like a replica Leviathan axe from God of War Ragnarok, for instance) or tabletop roleplaying games. 

Either would be intriguing, but the latter is especially exciting. Being able to play a D&D-style adventure based on The Last of Us or Horizon is an appealing concept, and both would bring something unique to the best tabletop RPGs. That's obviously speculation on our part, but it'd be surprising if Spin Master didn't capitalize on both franchise's popularity now it has the means to do so. What's more, quotes within the press release from SIE VP of loyalty & licensed merchandise Grace Chen specifically emphasize games as well as toys.

Naturally, board games are also included within the company's PlayStation output. While Spin Master's fare is often geared towards a younger audience, it does have more mature games in its library and also publishes work from other studios in the US (a notable example being Big Potato Games, the team behind some of the top board games for adults). As such, there's a possibility of getting strategy adaptations down the line, perhaps in the mold of the Horizon Zero Dawn board game or CMON's God of War card game.

Interestingly, the agreement also includes content based on PS5, PS4, and PS3 "as well as SIE first party existing game titles, and owned new titles launched during the term". That means any new PlayStation-exclusive games in the future will be fair game for Spin Master.

In the press release, Spin Master president and CCO Chris Beardall stated that the company will "bring the interactive storytelling of Sony's immersive PlayStation games to life in an all-new way, extending the fandom from digital to reimagined physical play".

This isn't the only cool merch announcement we've had recently; alongside a massive new $280 Lego Bowser, we're also getting a Lego Atari later this year.

For more must-have collectibles, don't miss the best Lego sets, the top Lego Super Mario sets, or these Fortnite Nerf guns.