A modder has revisited 2013's The Last of Us and paired Ellie with Tess, the ill-fated survivor and romantic tension for Joel, as the main game's playable protagonist.
I suppose there are spoilers for The Last of Us in this video by YouTuber Freako, as major scenes are carried out with Tess in Joel's role. Nonetheless, many fans of her character — it ended heroically, if not well, for Tess in the original story — were cheered up to see her live again, especially in such prominent scenes. Whether or not they were romantic, Tess and Joel had a strong bond, and he loved her beyond death.
Despite the seemingly terminal nature of The Last of Us' story, Ellie will return, in a playable role, with The Last of Us Part 2, announced at PlayStation Experience back in December. It's unclear whether Joel lives on; he may be a flashback character. Regardless, we will probably hear more about the game at E3 2017 next month.