One of Naughty Dog’s biggest projects is The Last Of Us series, which has taken home ten awards since it came out. For years now, the studio had been teasing an online game where the players could play with their friends, but there was no other news coming out ever since. So, what happened to The Last of Us Online? Let’s answer this question together.
The Last of Us Online was announced as a multiplayer mode during the Summer Game Fest 2022. Calling it “The biggest online experience” of Naughty Dog yet, Neil Druckmann presented some of the concept art, hyping the audience up. However, the last two years were almost entirely silent. Finally, now we have information regarding the fate of this online multiplayer experience.
Is The Last Of Us Online Mod Cancelled?
Yes, The Last of Us Online project has unfortunately been cancelled. The news broke out on December 14, 2023, in an official blog post released by Naughty Dog, where this decision is explained in a more detailed manner.
In this blog post, the developers state that this game was “Unique and [it] had tremendous potential.” What’s more, as the game was realised more and more, the creative direction seemed incredibly fulfilling as well.
However, the blog post explains that despite all their excitement, they realised that the studio could not afford to launch content to support the game for years.
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
According to the developers, all these questions boiled down to deciding between being a “Solely live service games studio” or continuing to “Focus on single-player narrative games”, which have become the signature of Naughty Dog games. The studio has made its choice side of single-player games — like The Last of Us Part II.
Is The Last of Us Part 3 Happening?
For now, there is no positive or negative statement about The Last of Us Part 3. But we have no reason to despair. After all, since the successful launch of TLOU2, there have been speculations about the possibility of a third game. But it is important to note that these are just rumours, and no official statement has been released to the public yet.
In the same Naughty Dog blog post where the cancellation of The Last of Us Online was announced, the studio also makes it clear that the developers have “More than one ambitious, brand new single-player game” that they are working on.
Among these projects may be the long-awaited continuation of the Uncharted series. Or maybe it’s time for us to hear about a brand-new IP.
Final Thoughts
We are sure that The Last of Us Online project would be a delightful game. But this cancellation might be a sign of something even more beautiful. Let’s hope that Naughty Dog breaks its silence regarding their new games soon.
This wraps up our discussion about the fate of The Last of Us Online. Don’t worry — we will keep you updated if we hear any other word. Meanwhile, if you like the creative world of The Last of Us, you might want to check out our walkthrough and guide series.
If you enjoy story-based games like this one, then you might also want to take a look at our list of 5 best video game stories. See if you can spot your next favourite.
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