Summary
- The cancelation of The Last of Us Online massively disappointed fans in December 2023.
- According to one insider, the game was in development for four years with a team "in the hundreds."
- Leaked images of the title hinted at common live service elements such as a Battle Pass, a Battle Royale mode, an in-game item store, and seasonal content.
An industry insider and reporter has shared new details about the chaos that ensued behind the scenes at PlayStation following the cancelation of The Last of Us' standalone multiplayer title. Despite reportedly being in development for approximately four years, the project to transform The Last of Us into a new multiplayer game was canceled in 2023 and led to "heads rolling" at Sony as a result.
The cancelation of The Last of Us Online was a devastating blow for fans, as many die-hard players had been clamoring for a new multiplayer take on The Last of Us ever since the original's Factions mode. This popular multiplayer section for The Last of Us pitted players against each other with three different modes to choose from. When Naughty Dog revealed the first concept art for the new standalone multiplayer game set within the universe of The Last of Us, it credited Factions as one of the main reasons for wanting to create something much larger. In December 2023, however, the studio confirmed that development on The Last of Us Online had been halted due to the sheer size of the title and the resources required to maintain it.
Cinematographer Shares Stunning Photos of The Last of Us Part 1
A cinematographer and Last Of Us fan shares stunning photographs taken in photo mode during one of their playthroughs of The Last of Us Part 1.
Now, almost one year after the game's cancelation, industry insider and reporter Jason Schreier has revealed some grim details about what went on behind the scenes. Speaking on the Friends Per Second podcast, Schreier revealed that The Last of Us Online was supposedly in development for roughly four years with a team "in the hundreds." He also explained that the project's cancelation was not a "bloodless endeavor."
The Last of Us Online Was An Expensive Cancelation For Sony
Schreier joined the Friends Per Second podcast mainly to discuss the recent layoffs at Bungie, the studio best known for its hit shooter, Destiny 2. However, the journalist also touched on live service titles as a whole and briefly talked about the canceled The Last of Us multiplayer title known as The Last of Us Online. Although it shouldn't come as much of a surprise, Schreier said that heads were rolling at Sony following its cancelation, suggesting that there were likely some higher-ups in trouble at the studio. He also revealed that the project was an incredibly expensive one, mainly due to the hundreds of employees working on the title.
Despite being in development for many years, details about what The Last of Us Online was going to look like have been relatively scarce. However, shortly after the title was canceled by Naughty Dog, leaked images for The Last of Us Online started to appear online. These images all but confirmed that the standalone multiplayer game was going to include plenty of standard live service elements, such as a Battle Pass, a Battle Royale mode, an in-game item store, seasonal content, and more.
While the cancelation of The Last of Us Online was a big blow for fans, PlayStation still has a plethora of live service games in the works. The most prominent of the bunch is Concord, which is right around the corner as it targets an August 23 release date for PlayStation 5 and PC.
The Last of Us
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 94 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- June 14, 2013
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- Proprietary (overall), Havok (physics)
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Expansions
- The Last of Us: Left Behind
