Naughty Dog, the popular developer behind franchises like Uncharted and The Last of Us, has released a statement about its multiplayer title set in The Last of Us universe. In the post, the developer says it needs more time than originally anticipated for the multiplayer project, but it softens the blow by teasing an unannounced single-player-focused game.
“We know many of you are looking forward to hearing more about The Last of Us multiplayer,” the statement read. “We’re very proud of the work our studio has done so far, but as development continues, we’ve realized that what’s best for the game is to give it more time. Our team will continue to work on the project, as well as our other games in development, including a new single-player experience. Absolutely; looking forward to sharing more soon. We are grateful to our wonderful community for your support – thank you for your passion for our games, it continues to drive us.”
This statement follows report from bloombergAnd that reported problems with the title’s development. According to the report, the development team has been cut back while the studio’s leadership has decided to set direction.
This multiplayer project was originally in development as a mod for The Last of Us Part II, similar to the multiplayer mode of the original The Last of Us. However, as both the single-player campaign and multiplayer mode expand in scope, Naughty Dog made the call to prioritize the single-player campaign, which comes out in 2020. In June 2022, Naughty Dog announced that the multiplayer component was now a standalone project and shared a piece of the game. Concept art (above). Earlier this year, Naughty Dog released another new piece of concept art (below) and promised more details on the multiplayer standalone project later this year.
The latest all-new game from Naughty Dog, 2020’s The Last of Us Part II, received universal critical acclaim with a score of 93 on Metacritic, but has proven divisive among gamers. Since that time, Naughty Dog has released the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, which included remastered versions of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and The Last of Us Part I, a remake of The Last of Us and the Last of Us: We left behind. Perhaps The Last of Us’ biggest impact in 2023 came in the form of the first season of the HBO series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, which has received widespread acclaim.
There’s no word on when we’ll hear more from Naughty Dog on the multiplayer or single-player project mentioned in this statement, but with this week’s PlayStation Showcase ignoring mention of any of the studio’s projects, it may be a while before we know substantial details.