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Naughty Dog has announced that it has decided not to proceed with development of its standalone multiplayer focused The Last of Us Online game that’s been in the works for the last couple of years.
The studio made the announcement to fans on its website and social media platforms, saying that the decision was an “incredibly difficult” one to make, especially as development had been ongoing for some time. “As the multiplayer team iterated on their concept for The Last of Us Online during this time, their vision crystalized, the gameplay got more refined and satisfying, and we were enthusiastic about the direction in which we were headed.”
But, ultimately – it seems the after-launch support that would be required to release a multiplayer focused game in the current climate would be too much for the studio to take on. “To release and support The Last of Us Online we’d have to put all our studio resources behind supporting post launch content for years to come, severely impacting development on future single-player games. So, we had two paths in front of us: become a solely live service games studio or continue to focus on single-player narrative games that have defined Naughty Dog’s heritage.”
There is some good news arising from the closure, however, as Naughty Dog has revealed it’s currently working on “more than one ambitious, brand new single player game” at the studio. While it didn’t give any details away on what those games are, it did previously state during the studio’s last update on The Last of Us Online that one of these would be a ‘brand new single player experience’ – but fans are also hoping for a new entry in The Last of Us series especially following the success of the HBO TV show which recently had its season two confirmed for 2025.
In the meantime, fans can look forward to The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, which is scheduled to arrive on PlayStation 5 in just a few weeks time, on January 19, 2024.
