- The Last of Us was praised as one of the best gaming adaptations to date.
- While Warner Bros reported record viewership for the TV show this year, the series was also quite popular among pirates.
- Beating out the likes of Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, and more, The Last of Us became 2023’s most-watched show among BitTorrent users.
The Last of Us was one of 2023’s leading gaming adaptations. With Naughty Dog and HBO working closely to bring the IP to life through a TV series, the series launched to positive reviews and contributed to a sales boost for the games.
Warner Bros confirmed that the TV show averaged millions of views each episode. While it was made available through streaming services like HBO Max, a report confirms The Last of Us was also a favorite among viewers resorting to piracy.
Why it matters: Compared to most streaming services, piracy is not the go-to option for mainstream audiences. Therefore, this level of popularity among Torrent users highlights that HBO Max and Naughty Dog’s work was a cut above the rest.
#TheLastOfUs was the most pirated TV series of 2023 🏴☠️
(via @torrentfreak) pic.twitter.com/p3viE2DTNz
— Culture Crave 🎃 (@CultureCrave) December 26, 2023
According to TorrentFreak, The Last of Us was 2023’s most pirated TV series. The report notes that Game of Thrones was typically the leader on this list for the past few years, but Naughty Dog’s excellent adaptation took the top spot in 2023.
Other popular TV shows like The Mandalorian, Loki, and Ahsoka followed The Last of Us. Even Marvel’s controversial Secret Invasion was among the five most-pirated TV shows of 2023.
The results indicate that this PlayStation IP was adapted so well into a TV series that many went out of their way to access it. While streaming services are not expensive in the modern era, many users are not fond of the fact that content is usually split across multiple services.
This makes piracy a compelling option for such users. Interestingly, the report uses traffic from the BitTorrent client. When considering the other clients, this TV show likely attracted millions of viewers from piracy alone.
In addition to this TV series, the likes of Super Mario Bros proved that gaming adaptations can be much more than half-hearted cash grabs. These projects have marked a major shift in the landscape, leading to more excitement for similar adaptations in the future.
Following an incredible first season, work on more episodes is already underway. With shooting for season 2 expected to begin next month, hopes are high for another strong wave of episodes, especially after the second game in this franchise presented a more complex and divisive narrative.
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