If you’ve been looking forward to The Last of Us multiplayer, unfortunately, there’s some grim news ahead. Naughty Dog has recently put the word out that the project has had to be canceled, referring to it as an “incredibly difficult decision.”
Studio is said to be “crushed”
In a recent post on the developer’s website, the team announced that The Last Of Us Online is no more. The statement says it was decided to cancel the multiplayer game due to the resources Naughty Dog would have to ensure to maintain the game.
The post goes on to say that the “massive scope” of the project became clear, adding that the team would have to put a lot of support into post-launch, “severely impacting development on future single-player games.”
Given this, the developer has decided to put more focus on single-player narratives rather than move into live service. As a result, it’s unlikely that The Last of Us Online will ever see the light of day unless things change in the near future.
Whether this is related to Naughty Dog laying off staff recently cannot be said at this stage. However, many will likely make that connection.
The studio is one of many that have initiated layoffs this year, with some outfits closing their doors entirely. As a result, 2023 has been a tumultuous year in video game development.
As for the future of the Last of Us series, Part 2 is due to be getting a remaster in January. On top of that, Naughty Dog closed the recent statement by saying that the team has “more than one ambitious, brand-new single-player game” that’s currently in the pipeline.
