This week, Naughty Dog released a statement revealing the cancellation of The Last of Us Online. In the message, they express that it was a difficult decision to make and regret having disappointed all their fans.
The company shares that the multiplayer project’s pre-production began during the development of The Last of Us Part II. They explained that the team for the online mode was refining its concept, and once they improved the gameplay, they were very excited about the direction taken.
However, as the game’s production began to gain momentum, Naughty Dog realized the significant time and effort investment required. Recognizing the need to dedicate all their resources to a games-as-a-service title, they decided not to pursue that path.
The Last of Us Online has been canceled.
The developer expressed, “We were faced with the choice of becoming a games-as-a-service studio or maintaining our focus on single-player stories, which have defined Naughty Dog’s legacy.”
“The learnings and investments in technology from this game will carry over to how we develop our projects, being invaluable in the studio’s current direction,” says the studio, which is working on its new narrative-focused single-player adventure.
Although it has not been revealed whether the upcoming project will be The Last of Us Part 3 or a new intellectual property, the company plans to release the remastered version of the second game in early 2024 on PlayStation 5.
Source: Naughty Dog