In a surprise turn of events, Naughty Dog has officially cancelled The Last of Us Online. The developer announced the unfortunate news in a message on its website, acknowledging an immense amount of curiosity in the multiplayer project.
The statement read,
"We recognize that many of you have been eagerly awaiting updates on The Last of Us Online. Regrettably, we've had to make the incredibly tough decision to halt development on this game. We understand that this news will be disheartening for many, particularly our dedicated The Last of Us Factions community, who have passionately followed our multiplayer aspirations."
Naughty Dog went on to express its disappointment, stating,
"We are equally crushed at the studio, as we were eager to place the game in your hands. To provide some insight into our decision-making process, we want to share the background that led us to this difficult choice."
According to reports, Sony limited the scope of Naughty Dog's multiplayer game for The Last of Us early this year, following an evaluation undertaken by the platform holder and the recently purchased Bungie. According to a May Bloomberg story, Bungie's input on the project's quality and viability resulted in a reduction in the number of staff working on it.
The report stated,
"Bungie raised questions about The Last of Us multiplayer project’s ability to keep players engaged for a long period of time, which led to the reassessment."
Naughty Dog seems to have predicted the news issuing a message on social media shortly before the Bloomberg piece was published. The developer implied in that comment that The Last of Us multiplayer game would require additional development time.
The latest statement from Naughty Dog further explained,
"The multiplayer team has been in pre-production with this game since we were working on The Last of Us Part II – crafting an experience we felt was unique and had tremendous potential."
"As the multiplayer team refined the concept for The Last of Us Online, their vision crystallized, and the gameplay became more polished and satisfying. However, in gearing up for full production, the monumental scope of our ambition became apparent. Releasing and supporting The Last of Us Online would require channeling all our studio resources into post-launch content for years to come, severely impacting the development of future single-player games."
Faced with this dilemma, the statement revealed,
"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."
The developer raised his sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the project, saying that the lessons learned and technology investments from The Last of Us Online would affect the development of future Naughty Dog products. The letter finished with a note of gratitude to the community for their loyal support over the years and a pledge to release details about the studio's ambitious, brand-new single-player games when the time is right.