This Last of Us TV show Uncharted Easter egg is so subtle Naughty Dog had to reveal it

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I don't think Nathan Drake himself would've caught this

Anna Torv as Tess in The Last of Us
(Image credit: HBO)

The Last of Us HBO series is hiding an Uncharted Easter egg so subtle Nathan Drake himself would struggle to spot it.

I'll be completely, irresponsibly honest here: I definitely would not have known this Easter egg exists if it weren't for Naughty Dog being like, 'Look, dummies, this thing is from Uncharted'.

Over on Twitter, the studio behind The Last of Us and Uncharted games shared an image of the sneaky nod to Nathan Drake in the second episode of the HBO series. The item in question is a Zippo-like lighter with '76' and a prominent star emblazoned onto its front. According to Naughty Dog, it's modeled after the one Sam Drake uses to light his cigarettes in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.

Personally, I love that an HBO TV show clearly intended to appeal to the masses, and not just fans of the games, is staying true to its roots. That said, I genuinely question how many people would've noticed this if Naughty Dog didn't shout it from the rooftops. If you have seen episode 2, you were probably too distracted by that disgusting tendril kiss, and if you haven't seen it, I'm terribly sorry for bringing that imagery to mind.

The Last of Us TV show has been a hit critically and commercially, so much so that the game series has seen a 300% sales boost since its premiere. And yet despite being overall faithful to the games, there are some key differences between The Last of Us TV show and the games, one of which is the way the zombifying fungus spreads.

Fans of the games learned recently that The Last of Us almost had DLC starring Ellie's mom.

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.