Naughty Dog has decided to end the development of The Last of Us Online, the internal name for the The Last of Us multiplayer project the studio has been working on. In a statement, Naughty Dog expressed understanding toward the dedicated The Last of Us Factions community, noting that the news will be difficult for many to absorb.
“We know how difficult this news will be for many, especially our dedicated The Last of Us Factions community, who have been fervently following our multiplayer ambitions,” Naughty Dog stated. “At the studio we are also devastated, as we were eager to get it into your hands. “We wanted to share with you some background on how we came to this decision.”
According to Naughty Dog, the multiplayer team was in pre-production with this game since they were working on The Last of Us Part II, crafting an experience that they felt was unique and had tremendous potential. As the team iterated on the concept of The Last of Us Online, the vision crystallized, the game became more refined and satisfying, and they were excited about the direction they were taking.
“By ramping up production to full phase, the immense magnitude of our ambition became evident,” Naughty Dog said in the statement. “To launch and support The Last of Us Online, we would have to put all of our resources behind supporting post-launch content for many years, severely impacting the development of future single-player games. So we had two paths in front of us: become a purely games-as-a-service studio or continue to focus on the single-player narrative games that have defined Naughty Dog’s heritage.”
Naughty Dog concluded by stating that they have decided to maintain their focus on single-player games, marking a turn in the direction of the studio and leaving behind the multiplayer project that had generated great expectation among fans of The Last of Us.
Fountain: Gematsu
