The Last of Us Part 1 dev lashes out at claims the remake is “just a cash grab”

Following on from the reveal of The Last of Us Part 1, a PS5 remake of the 2013 Naughty Dog title, an animator that worked on the project has hit back at claims it’s nothing more than a “cash grab” from Sony.

After months of leaks and rampant speculation, Neil Druckmann finally confirmed The Last of Us remake is indeed real during his showcase at the 2022 Summer Game Fest.

Although the reveal trailer showed little in the way of gameplay, instead highlighting environmental upgrades and character model improvements, fans quickly grew concerned. With a premium $69.99 USD price tag for the Standard Edition to boot, many were critical that the new version isn’t justifying the costs. 

Addressing the backlash head-on, former PlayStation Visual Arts animator Robert Morrison took to Twitter to explain just how much effort is going into the Part 1 remake.

“It’s just a cash grab,” he said on July 10, quoting the most prominent argument online. Rejecting this stance, Morrison outlined the level of attention the project is receiving from both Naughty Dog and its co-developers under the PlayStation umbrellas.

“Actually, it’s the most meticulously built and crafted projected that I have ever seen or been a part of in my entire career,” he responded. “The highest level of care and attention to detail possible.”

While we’re yet to see raw gameplay to support this counter, a handful of screenshots, the reveal trailer, and even odd snippets share on Twitter serve to highlight new upgrades in effect. Beyond that, Druckmann also teased that combat is in for a major overhaul in order to more closely align with systems featured in the 2020 sequel.

For some, it’s still not enough to justify the expense, which Morrison admits is “subjective to each individual.

“You can decide for yourself if you want it or not. All I’m saying is I am in awe of the work that an amazing group of people did on the project. A tremendous amount of passion was put into it.”

Fans will be able to see for themselves when The Last of Us Part 1 launches on PS5 on September 2, then on PC down the line.