The Last of Us Online Devs Tease their Canceled Game: ‘It Was the Highlight of My Career’
The fate of The Last of Us Online hung in the balance for a long while, with mixed signals being sent from Sony and Naughty Dog. It all started before the launch of The Last of Us Part II when it was announced that there would be no Factions multiplayer mode like in the original game.
Shortly afterward, though, the developer teased that it was simply because the studio's ambition and scope for the project was far greater than what could be allowed by a mere multiplayer mode. As such, a standalone The Last of Us Online game would be produced instead.
Naughty Dog subsequently went silent until June 2022, when writer and franchise director Neil Druckmann hyped it up with an interview at the Summer Game Fest.
They've been working on it for the past two years, and the ambition has grown. This game is big. It's as big as any of our single-player games and in some ways bigger. It's got a story. The way we're telling that story is very unique to this game. It's got a brand new cast of characters. It takes place in another part of the United States. It's being headed by veterans of Uncharted and The Last of Us. You're going to see a lot more of this game, come next year.
In January 2023, Druckmann once again talked about The Last of Us Online, calling it the 'most ambitious project ever made by Naughty Dog' and suggesting a cooperative focus for the game. As late as this March, the studio's Head of Creative told fans they could expect lots of information to be shared later in 2023.
However, in late May, Naughty Dog publicly stated this standalone game had been delayed due to needing more time. Shortly after the announcement, Jason Schreier revealed a different story: The Last of Us Online had received a negative evaluation by Bungie
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