The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered references dormant Sony franchise – but fans aren’t happy

The new remaster of The Last of Us Part 2 adds cosmetics referencing various PlayStation titles like Death Stranding and Destiny, but a shirt referencing the long-dormant Killzone has fans of the series furious.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered adds some new content to the game, including the roguelike survival mode No Return, additional levels cut from the original release, and new cosmetics.

However, while some of the cosmetics have been praised – such as Ellie’s astronaut suit – one in particular has proven controversial.

Among the various t-shirts referencing games like Death Stranding, Destiny and Hotline Miami is one based on Killzone – and fans of PlayStation’s long-dormant first-party shooter franchise are furious.

Killzone fans angry over Last of Us Part 2 Remastered cosmetic reference

While some Killzone fans were happy to see the series acknowledged over a decade after the most recent game’s release, other fans viewed it as another slight against them.

In response to a video showing off the new Ellie skins, one Twitter user expressed frustration that “the first time Killzone is acknowledged by Sony in over a decade is via a f****** t-shirt in a reprint of TLOU2.”

Others shared the sentiment, with one replying “Been waiting since Twenty-Goddamn-Thirteen since Shadowfall for ANY Killzone news and this is what we get.”

“That Killzone shirt is just dumping a gallon of lemon juice on a deep wound,” said another.

The Killzone series has been dormant (and sparsely acknowledged) since the release of Killzone Shadow Fall in 2013. Since then, developer Guerrilla Games has moved on to the Horizon series, which has spanned two mainline games and a VR title since Zero Dawn’s 2017 release.

Guerrilla is currently working on at least two Horizon games, one of which is an online multiplayer title.

This isn’t the only controversy surrounding The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, as some have questioned the purpose of the release since it was first rumored. For their part, one Naughty Dog developer has addressed the backlash, arguing the remaster is “the best way to play The Last of Us Part 2.”