It’s been nearly three years since Naughty Dog announced that it was canceling its planned Last of Us Online multiplayer game. While the studio was moving on to other projects, some fan modders had been working to bring some version of an updated Last of Us multiplayer game to fruition. Well, if Sony can’t make a Last of Us multiplayer mode in The Last of Us Part II, no one can, apparently, as the company has sent a letter to the folks behind the mod “requesting” it not be released.
Modder Speclizer posted an update on the project on Twitter that didn’t get into the specifics of what Sony’s letter said, but the long and short of it is that the project will not be seeing the light of day. They say they hope that those who have been following the TLOU multiplayer mod’s progress will continue to support them on their next project, which will be based on something of their own.
Hey everyone, as you all know, the TLOU 2 Multiplayer mod that has been in development since January was supposed to release this month. Unfortunately I recently received a letter on behalf of Sony Interactive Entertainment requesting for the mod not to be released. Extremely sad…
— Speclizer (@Speclizer_) September 13, 2026
Speclizer had been posting updates on the mod’s progress on YouTube throughout 2026, and had garnered thousands of views in the process. The most recent (and presumably final) update was released last month and had reached over 110k views, and said the mod was “getting closer” to finally being a playable version of multiplayer in The Last of Us Part II.
While Speclizer didn’t get into any of the specifics of Sony’s letter, some are speculating that the reason the mod finally came under fire is that Speclizer put access to the mod behind a Patreon subscription, meaning they could have made money off of the project, which is where some companies draw a line and step in.
Same as it ever was.
When will people learn that locking access to mods behind Patreon subscription gates is just asking for trouble? It’s happened quite a few times now (CoD XLabs, Cyberpunk REAL VR, that one pokemon mod for palworld, etc. etc.), you think it’d sink in by now. https://t.co/pXFxwvet8R pic.twitter.com/jOM4Jhi5YS
— The Kinsie (@kinsie) September 14, 2026
Right now, the original Last of Us’ Factions multiplayer mode is playable on the PlayStation 4 remaster, but wasn’t included in the Part I remake that launched on PS5 in 2022. With Naughty Dog’s game being shelved and fans’ efforts to create a modern multiplayer mode thwarted by Sony, if those original servers are shut down in a few years, Last of Us multiplayer may soon be a thing of the past.
While Last of Us multiplayer may not be in the cards, Naughty Dog has (once again) hinted that a third game is in the works.
