As Naughty Dog themselves pointed out via Twitter, the lighter Tess was holding at the end of the episode was the same as Sam Drake’s lighter in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. It is a Zippo type lighter, with the number 76 and a large star in the center.
This particular easter egg is so subtle that if it hadn’t been revealed by Naughty Dog or anyone else from the show’s production, we might never have found out about it.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was released for PlayStation 4 in May 2016.
UNCHARTED fans: Did Tess’s lighter from last night’s episode of #TheLastOfUs look familiar? It was modeled after Sam Drake’s lighter from UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End! pic.twitter.com/kAlAc8t94Z
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) January 23, 2023