The Last of Us franchise has sold 37 million copies in 9 years

Naughty Dog revealed its The Last of Us franchise has sold over 37 million copies as of December 2022. In the start of a 10-year celebration for the post-apocalyptic property, the developer added that the series is "continuing to reach new and old players every day." 

And with the incoming arrival of HBO's The Last of Us TV show in a few weeks, Naughty Dog must figure that it's a good excuse to look back on how big the zombie-killing has become in the past nine years. 

Each of the three games in the series have been critical and commercial darlings, but the original The Last of Us is the top earner. When it released in summer 2013 for the PlayStation 3, it sold 6 million copies within almost a full year after release. By 2018, two years before The Last of Us Part II, the first title sold 18 million copies across the PS3 and its PlayStation 4 remaster.

As of June 2022, The Last of Us Part II for the PS4 reached 10 million copies since its summer 2020 release. No specific sales numbers have been given for The Last of Us Part I, the PlayStation 5 (and PC, on March 3) remake of the original game. However, Naughty Dog did indicate that the remake's sales were "successful," for whatever that's worth. 

The developer also briefly touched on the franchise's upcoming standalone multiplayer project. Leading that still unnamed game are designer Vinit Agarwal, The Last of Us Part II co-director Anthony Newman, and creative director Joseph Pettinati.