Naughty Dog Cancels Development of “The Last of Us Online” Multiplayer Game

Naughty Dog has announced the cancellation of its planned multiplayer game set in the world of The Last of Us, which was formerly known as “The Last of Us Online.” The studio revealed that it has made the difficult decision to stop development on the project.

The announcement was made on the studio’s website, where they acknowledged that the news will be disappointing for many, especially the dedicated The Last of Us Factions community who have been eagerly following the multiplayer ambitions of the studio. Naughty Dog expressed their own disappointment, as they were looking forward to putting the game in the hands of players.

“The Last of Us Online” was initially scheduled to be revealed to the public this year. Although the studio had released some concept art for the game, gameplay was never showcased to the public.

Developers at Naughty Dog had been in pre-production on “The Last of Us Online” since the development of “The Last of Us Part 2.” The studio described the online game as “unique” and having “tremendous potential,” but ultimately, they did not have the resources to dedicate to its ambitious scope.

According to the studio, the massive scope of the game’s ambition became clear as they ramped up to full production. It would have required all of the studio’s resources to support post-launch content for years, impacting the development of future single-player games. Ultimately, Naughty Dog had to choose between becoming solely a live service games studio or continuing to focus on single-player narrative games, which have defined their heritage.

Despite the cancellation of “The Last of Us Online,” Naughty Dog assured fans that they are working on a separate and brand-new single-player game, which they teased back in May when they informed fans that “The Last of Us Online” needed more time to develop. Additionally, the studio plans to release “The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered” for PlayStation 5 in January.

The announcement included a silver lining for the formal cancellation of “The Last of Us Online.” Naughty Dog emphasized that the learnings and investments in technology from the game will carry into their future projects and will be invaluable in shaping the direction of the studio. The studio also hinted at having more than one ambitious, brand-new single-player game in the works, promising to share more when they are ready.

Naughty Dog had previously announced plans to deliver a multiplayer component for “The Last of Us Part 2” as far back as 2018, following the game’s initial announcement in 2016.

It is worth noting that the original “The Last of Us” launched with a multiplayer component in 2013, which was also available in the PlayStation 4 version, “The Last of Us Remastered.” The Factions mode of “TLOU” offered deathmatch and team deathmatch game types, along with a metagame and story elements.