The Last Of Us Online Just Got Cancelled, and I Don't Know How I Feel

The Last Of Us Online Is No More, And I'm Not Sure How To Feel...

A good few years back, practically everyone and their dog were eager to get their hands on the hugely anticipated release of The Last of Us Part II, myself included. Then, in 2019, the studio announced that during development, the online evolution of the Factions multiplayer game had grown to be more than a straightforward addition to the base single-player game. Leaving Naughty Dog to announce that Part 2 would be launching without it. Naughty Dog confirmed that the multiplayer portion was not dead, but would be allocated resources and development on the project would continue.

Over the years, information was drip-fed, not too much but enough to reassure the masses that the project was still in development. Although no major updates ever came out, there was reassurance that the game was still being worked on and that it was as big a task as any of their single-player games, if not bigger.

Well, that's All Over now. Following a statement released by Naughty Dog last night, it confirmed that The Last of Us Factions multiplayer project has officially been cancelled.

Oddly enough, this is news that split me more than I expected. On one hand, I adore The Last of Us and the world the studio has created. Back when The Last of Us first launched on PS3, and it was accompanied by the excellent Factions mode, it became one of the few online games that I really got into. So I had been eagerly following the studio's updates about the project. I haven't found many online games that pull me in, so knowing Naughty Dog's pedigree and the fun I had with Factions, it'd be fair to say I was rather hopeful for the project.

That being said, I have nothing but admiration for the studio and commend them for making the incredibly tough decision to call time on the project.

"In ramping up to full production, the massive scope of our ambition became clear. 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. So, we had two paths in front of us: become a solely live service games studio or continue to focus on single-player narrative games that have defined Naughty Dog’s heritage."

And they did just that. In a world where game developers seem to be fixated on live service games and multiplayer games, Naughty Dog chose to stick with what they do best. Craft exceptional Single-player stories. That's the history of the studio, and that's something I'm glad they addressed. As much as I would have loved to experience The Last Of Us Online, I know I would have missed playing through Naughty Dog's defining narratives. Just the idea of a world without Naughty Dog's Single-player games in it feels like a criminal act in itself.

How do you feel about the cancellation of the project? Let me know in the comments below.