The development of The Last of Us multiplayer game has reportedly suffered a setback, with Sony’s publisher, Naughty Dog, scaling back the team working on the project. Bloomberg has reported that the development of the long-awaited multiplayer experience has been slowed down by Sony to “reassess its quality and long-term viability.” This news comes after the studio recently tweeted that the game needs more time to cook and also announced an undisclosed brand-new single-player title. Fans were expecting updates about The Last of Us multiplayer game during the PlayStation Showcase event but Naughty Dog was a no-show.
Developmental Shake-up
Naughty Dog co-president, Neil Druckmann, had previously mentioned in a blog post from January that the studio was preparing to reveal more information on The Last of Us multiplayer game sometime “later this year.” The Bloomberg report notes that while the title has not been cancelled, several of its developers have been reallocated to other projects. Since Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has heavily invested in live-service games, it acquired Halo and Destiny 2 creator Bungie last year, and brought on the Seattle-based developer to evaluate the game. The report suggests that Bungie raised concerns about The Last of Us multiplayer project’s ability to keep players engaged for long periods and this led to the developmental shake-up.
The Last of Us multiplayer game marks the first project in the post-apocalyptic franchise where Druckmann isn’t serving as a lead writer or director. Players will be thrown into a new post-apocalyptic region, presumably San Francisco, with a friend and be forced to experience its “brutality,” combined with a new cast of NPCs and story. It has been in development for at least four years, starting life as a complementary game mode to The Last of Us Part II, after which high ambitions led to its diversion into a standalone affair.
Naughty Dog’s Future Plans
Back in March, Druckmann confirmed that Naughty Dog had chosen its next game, which is probably the “new single-player experience” mentioned in the tweet. Currently, it’s unclear whether this game is The Last of Us Part III, though a story outline for the same has been written, which Druckmann hopes sees the light of day. It’s also unlikely for the next project to be an Uncharted game since Naughty Dog previously alluded to moving on from the franchise.
One thing fans can expect, however, is some influences from Elden Ring, specifically its minimalist storytelling style, which the creator was heavily intrigued by. “To me, right now, that’s some of the best joy I get out of games that trust their audience to figure things out,” Druckmann said in an interview in January. “Games that don’t hold your hand, that’s the stuff I’m really intrigued by going forward.”
Currently, there are no release details for The Last of Us multiplayer game. Despite the developmental shake-up, Naughty Dog is still working on the game, and it remains to be seen whether it will live up to fans’ expectations. Sony’s decision to slow down work on the title indicates that it has a long way to go before it’s ready for release, but fans will be hoping that it’s worth the wait.
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