Naughty Dog has cancelled its multiplayer game based on the post-apocalyptic The Last of Us franchise.
Billed as even bigger than the beloved single-player games, the spinoff was supposed to introduce a new setting and a brand new cast of characters.
So what went wrong? Here’s what the famed studio had to say about the shock cancellation.
What was The Last of Us Online?
Be prepared to feel old. More than a decade has passed since the release of The Last of Us, the tragic horror game that spawned an excellent sequel and an acclaimed TV adaptation.
Although the game’s gripping storyline is hard to forget, what you may not recall is that the original came saddled with a multiplayer mode.
The Last of Us Factions, as it’s known, saw players competing in bullet-riddled skirmishes in a battle for survival. Despite being largely neglected at launch, the online mode managed to carve out a cult fanbase of devoted players.
Fast-forward to 2018, with anticipation mounting for The Last of Us Part 2, Naughty Dog announced that the sequel would also feature a multiplayer component.
Of course, that never came to pass, with the studio later confirming that the Last of Us Online would be a standalone game.
Along the way, players were treated to concept art from the new title showing two new characters overlooking an abandoned city. In another illustration, a different duo were seen approaching a grounded cruise ship.
Hyping up the game in 2022, Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann said it would be as big as the single-player games, and in “some ways bigger.”
Why was The Last of Us Online cancelled?
The Last of Us was still well and truly alive in January. Back then, Naughty Dog promised to reveal the new game to the public this year.
Then, things started to go wrong. By May, development on the game had been scaled back amid concerns over its long-term appeal, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schrier. Video games news website Kotaku said the game was "basically on ice" by October following layoffs at Naughty Dog.
On December 14, the studio announced that it had “made the incredibly difficult decision to stop development” on The Last of Us Online.
In a statement shared on its website, Naughty Dog admitted that the decision would be a tough pill to swallow for players, especially fans of The Last of Us Factions.
Explaining its motivations, the studio said it had to choose between the new project or the narrative-driven games it had built its reputation 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,” Naughty Dog said.
To soften the blow, it revealed that it has “more than one ambitious, brand new single-player game” in the works.
