The Last of Us Content Creators Facing Copyright Strikes For In-Game Soundtrack

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Avinash Jaisrani

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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PlayStation’s flagship action-adventure IP, The Last of Us, has come into the spotlight once again after the release of the impressive TV adaptation. Fans of the game have been awed at the seamless transition from the gaming medium, while the show has also encouraged those unfamiliar to play the franchise for the first time.

Though the sentiment surrounding the TV show has been overwhelmingly positive, it appears to be causing problems for some franchise fans. Recent reports claim videos with The Last of Us soundtrack receive copyright strikes after the adaptation.

The Last of Us content creators are now getting copyright strikes for using the games soundtrack in their videos.

It’s unclear what’s causing this but it likely stems from The Last of Us (HBO) using the same music. pic.twitter.com/ppU7v6nToQ

— Naughty Dog Central (@NaughtyNDC) February 25, 2023

The copyright strikes are not limited to a few recent videos either. Twitter users like Speclizer have received strikes on entire playlists from over a year ago. 

There have been multiple reported cases of this happening, and some have concluded that this could be due to the shared soundtrack between the games and HBO Max’s TV show. 

Twitter user Alice Monstrinho created a fan film based on The Last of Us over two years ago. This took immense effort and time from the content creator, but the video has now been removed from Youtube after the rampant copyright strikes. 

They've striked and removed our The last of Us fan film (released in 2020) just because of the songs copyright. It suck to spend so much time and love creating something, just to see it suddenly removed. Not sure if there's anything we can do 🙁
https://t.co/d1U6Kh3pNq

— Alice Monstrinho (@alicemonstrinho) February 25, 2023

HBO Max will be releasing the official soundtrack from the adaptation tomorrow. However, it remains to be seen if this will be able to fix the issues that various content creators are currently facing. 

While most reports concern Youtube videos, the issue has spread to platforms like Twitch. The popular live-streaming platform is also removing videos using the game’s soundtrack.

I have not logged into Twitch in months yet I get an email regarding copyrighted audio TODAY. 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/2u1JodZG5G

— Gumma Flores ⚓ (@GummaFlores) February 23, 2023

Having been released nearly a decade ago, The Last of Us has a rich history of user-created content based on the popular PlayStation IP.

Fans worldwide have dedicated countless hours to making videos based on the game, and it would be a shame to see this hard work go to waste. For now, fans can only hope that Naughty Dog and PlayStation can work to resolve this issue.

PlayStation may also release a third entry in the franchise after the tremendous success of the games and the recent TV adaptation. However, if this issue is not quickly resolved, it could also become a massive hurdle for future content dedicated to The Last of Us. 

Avinash Jaisrani

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