The Last of Us TV series might still be going, but unfortunately, we can’t say the same for the online multiplayer game that has been in development for some time. Game developer Naughty Dog took to their blog to share the sad news with The Last of Us’ fans.
The Last of Us Online Canceled: A Difficult Decision
On December 14, Naughty Dog wrote an emotional blog post about the decision to cancel the anticipated multiplayer game. They wrote: “We know this news will be tough for many, especially our dedicated The Last of Us Factions community, who have been following our multiplayer ambitions ardently. We’re equally crushed at the studio as we were looking forward to putting it in your hands. We wanted to share with you some background of how we came to this decision.”
The multiplayer team explained that it has dedicated its efforts to the pre-production phase of the game ever since the development of The Last of Us Part II. Their primary goal has been to craft a distinctive and highly promising gaming experience. Throughout this period, as the team worked on conceptualizing The Last of Us Online, the vision of the project became more defined, and the gameplay underwent continuous refinement, instilling a sense of enthusiasm for the direction they were taking.
As the team geared up for full-scale production, the magnitude of their ambitious goals became evident. Realizing that the release and ongoing support of The Last of Us Online would require the allocation of all studio resources to post-launch content for an extended period, it became clear to Naughty Dog that this approach would significantly impede the development of future single-player games. Faced with this pivotal decision, the studio had to choose between transforming into a solely live-service games studio or maintaining its focus on the creation of single-player narrative games, which have long been a defining aspect of Naughty Dog’s legacy.
We may say goodbye to this project, but hopefully, they have better news when it comes to single-player games they are working on.
They finished their blog post with the following “We are immensely proud of everyone at the studio that touched this project. The learnings and investments in technology from this game will carry into how we develop our projects and will be invaluable in the direction we are headed as a studio. We have more than one ambitious, brand new single player game that we’re working on here at Naughty Dog, and we cannot wait to share more about what comes next when we’re ready.
Until then, we’re incredibly thankful to our community for your support throughout the years.”
Who is Naughty Dog?
Founded in 1984, Naughty Dog stands as one of the world’s most accomplished and productive game development studios, proudly serving as a flagship first-party studio within PlayStation Studios. Renowned for crafting iconic series such as Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter, as well as modern classics like Uncharted and The Last of Us, Naughty Dog has consistently delivered critically acclaimed and commercially successful games on Sony’s PlayStation platforms. Utilizing cutting-edge technology and engaging, character-driven storytelling, the studio has garnered numerous industry and media awards, cultivating a devoted fan base of millions of players worldwide.
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