For fans of The Last of Us franchise, news on the multiplayer spin-off is akin to a suspense-filled thriller: packed with a healthy mix of anticipation, expectation, and twists.
When The Last of Us Part 2 released, fans felt the glaring absence of a multiplayer mode. The Last of Us set precedent with Factions, which allowed players to explore an online world, post-outbreak. Naughty Dog, sensing the anticipation, hinted at a separate multiplayer venture set in the same universe. This satisfied fans eager to dive into interactions with factions like the Washington Liberation Front, The Seraphites, and the iconic Fireflies, even if it came later.
But in a world where video game development is as dynamic as their narratives, things took an unfortunate twist.
https://twitter.com/ViewerAnon/status/1710039299151044653
Enter ViewerAnon, a notable figure for revealing significant leaks. He asserts Naughty Dog has shelved the multiplayer spin-off, saying “It’s dead, Jim.”
Naughty Dog had apparently encountered internal challenges during the game’s development. Most notably, a series of layoffs recently took place, with 25 employees from their Quality Assurance team given the boot. Concurrently, Naughty Dog’s focus seemed to have shifted since. The rumors of a single-player title began to circulate, even as the multiplayer game’s timeline was “only” pushed back, citing the desire for quality enhancement.
Another subplot to this narrative is Sony’s alliance with Bungie. The goal was for the studio to gauge the life expectancy of live-service games. Bungie’s questioning stance on The Last of Us didn’t go unnoticed.
Neil Druckmann’s statement that the multiplayer game needed “more time” took on a new dimension when a different report claimed that it had been “put on ice.”
Sony’s live-service ambitions are no secret, but as the live-service bubble shows signs of popping, the question now is, whether it’s still a wise decision to continue on with this trend. While many initially had high hopes to see a standalone multiplayer in The Last of Us universe, especially given its recent popularity surge post its TV adaptation, the current developments have cast a shadow of uncertainty. Of course, there’s always room for surprise. Even if Naughty Dog has had to throw away years of work for now, this doesn’t mean it can’t always pick it back up. The current multiplayer development could find its way into The Last of Us Part III, which is believed to be in development.
It’s curious that all this talk of the cancelation of Naughty Dog’s live-service project comes just as Jim Ryan is about to exit Sony by March 2024. Does this mean that, with Ryan’s departure, so does Sony’s live-service dreams, despite the billions and years of hard work poured into this massive undertaking? But, perhaps this is for the better, if it’s true. It’s better to end projects mid-way, no matter the financial costs, lest risk getting into unsalvageable situations. Redfall, for example, should’ve been shelved despite the time and money spent in its development. Now, only hundreds of people are playing it across multiple platforms – a tell-tale sign of a game’s impending death.
Thankfully, while Naughty Dog hasn’t released a new The Last of Us game in three years, Neil Druckmann has his hands full recreating the award-winning pair of first-party exclusives on streaming platforms. With the strikes nearly over, work on the second season can finally begin. Fingers crossed, the third season will follow suit sooner rather than later. Finally, since we’re on the topic of wishful thinking, it wouldn’t hurt if Naughty Dog confirmed the rumors of a PS5 port of The Last of Us Part 2 and its eventual arrival on the PC.
