The Last of Us‘ canceled live service game was a huge hit among Naughty Dog devs, according to its director. The 2013 title is easily one of the most revered PlayStation console exclusives of all time, spawning a remake, a controversial but equally popular sequel, and a hit HBO show since its release over a decade ago. At one point, The Last of Us was also going to get a multiplayer spin-off, and it sounds like it could’ve been something great.
Naughty Dog initially planned to include a multiplayer mode in The Last of Us Part 2 before spinning it off into a standalone project as its scope grew. By 2022, the studio had confirmed the title would be a full-scale game on par with its single-player offerings, but unfortunately, it would never see the light of day. In December 2023, Naughty Dog announced development on The Last of Us Online had permanently ended, and now, years later, the game’s director has shared more frustrating news about the project.
“This is What it Takes to Make Games at Our Level” Naughty Dog Reportedly Accepted Crunch as Inevitable after The Last of Us
A former Naughty Dog dev says The Last of Us led the studio to accept crunch as an unavoidable side effect of making games to its standard.
The Last of Us Online’s Director Says the Game Was Going To Be ‘Amazing’
Vinit Agarwal, the Game Director behind TLOU‘s ill-fated multiplayer title, tweeted that “many” former colleagues have told him it was “the best multiplayer game they’ve ever played.” He did not mention whether these Naughty Dog devs were actively involved in the game, but regardless of their stake in it, hearing that fans almost got what could’ve been an “amazing” multiplayer title is a disheartening revelation. Argawal has previously stated that The Last of Us Online was roughly 80% complete before its cancellation, too, so gamers were agonizingly close to trying it for themselves.
The game has gotten praise from more than just those who may have personal ties to it. Ex-PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida says The Last of Us Online was “great” after getting to play an early build during his time at Sony. Yoshida has also commented that Naughty Dog “really wanted to make it,” but the studio ultimately had to choose between the multiplayer game and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet after a review determined the company may not have the resources to fully support both. Given Naughty Dog’s history of success with single-player narrative titles, it’s understandable why it went in that direction, but it’s disappointing nonetheless.
The decision to cancel The Last of Us Online does not appear like it was an easy one for Naughty Dog. It also stings all the more in light of PlayStation’s commitment to live service games in the past year. While it’s impossible to say how things would have panned out, this new focus feels like it may have provided the right environment to justify a Last of Us multiplayer game had it started development a little later. On the other hand, though, plenty of PlayStation live service titles have struggled or shut down amid this push, so that may not have made a difference.
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Years after The Last of Us Online‘s cancellation, Agarwal now vows to never let one of his projects die like that again. There may still be a chance for some form of TLOU multiplayer to make its way into fans’ hands, as Neil Druckmann has hinted that more Last of Us projects may be in the pipeline, and a third game could revive the multiplayer concept. Still, there’s no guarantee, and Agarwal is no longer at Naughty Dog, but gamers lamenting the loss of TLOU Online may have some shred of hope to cling to.
- Released
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June 14, 2013
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
