Naughty Dog dev 'absolutely gutted' after The Last of Us multiplayer cancelled
We likely haven't heard the 'last' of The Last of Us, and while there are swirling rumours we're getting a third game in the zombie saga, we now know at least one project that will never see the light of day. The writing was already on the wall for The Last of Us multiplayer, and now, it's done.
When The Last of Us Part II launched in 2020, there were questions about where the game's multiplayer was. 2013's The Last of Us has Factions as its multiplayer element, but as the years ticked by, Factions 2 was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the studio was moving forward with a wholly separate multiplayer game.
The Last of Us multiplayer is no more
An update on The Last of Us Online was shared by Naughty Dog, confirming the tragic fate of the spin-off title. Writing, "There's no easy way to say this," the post continued, "We’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to stop development on that game."
Saying, "We're equally crushed," the developer went on to explain how it came to this decision. Apparently, the multiplayer team had been in pre-production since Part II was released, and while there was "tremendous potential," there were worries about post-launch support.
Naughty Dog said it would require the entire studio's resources, which would've severely impacted future single-player games. Having to pick between being a solely live service developer or continuing to focus on the single-player games that "have defined Naughty Dog's heritage," The Last of Us Online was shown the door.
The Last of Us dev is "absolutely gutted" about the game's cancellations
Given Naughty Dog's reputation in the industry, the game's axe has come as a surprise. Former Naughty Dog Developer Karl Morley took to Twitter to lament its demise and poured his heart out to those he worked with. Naughty Dog boss Neil Druckmann is yet to say anything, although he has retweeted the blog post.
For now, the only proof of The Last of Us Online is some loose bits of concept art and the odd screenshot. Noted leaker Dusk Golem shared what's apparently the title page of the cancelled game - it looks like it was pulled directly from Part II.
With every piece of tragic news, there's a silver lining. Naughty Dog has vowed to continue its single-player work, and with Uncharted confirmed to have come to an end, it's more likely than ever that The Last of Us Part 3 is out there in the aether. Come on Druckmann, make it happen.
