There have been previous rumors that Naughty Dog"s project to develop an online multiplayer game based on its hit single-player The Last of Us franchise was in trouble. Today, the developer finally confirmed that the game was officially canceled.
In a post on the developer"s website, Naughty Dog stated that the development of what it calls The Last of Us Online started when it was also working on The Last of Us Part II. The post said that the game"s team was "crafting an experience we felt was unique and had tremendous potential."
However, the decision to cancel the game came down to the team not being willing to sacrifice working on the single-player narrative-driven games that Naughty Dog is famous for. The post stated:
In ramping up to full production, the massive scope of our ambition became clear. 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.
Tonight"s post said that Naughty Dog was "immensely proud of everyone at the studio that touched this project." It added that it has "more than one ambitious" single-player game is is working on but details were not revealed.
While the online multiplayer game based on The Last of Us is not happening anymore, Naughty Dog is working on The Last of Us Part II Remastered for the PlayStation 5 console for a launch on January 19, 2024. It will include some new content, such as a No Return roguelite survival mode, along with some levels that were cut from the final game.