Hindered by delays and grand ambitions, on Thursday, Naughty Dog announced through their blog that production on The Last Of Us Online was officially canceled. This project was to be the current-gen successor to the fan favorite multiplayer “Factions” game mode launched with the original PS3 game in 2013.
The reasons cited by Naughty Dog pointed to a decision in which the studio did not have the resources to provide continuous updating and support for an online game which combined with growing tech ambitions led them to having to choose between creating expansive single-player experiences or a hefty online game. Naughty Dog true to its roots made the hard choice to let The Last Of Us online go.
Currently there are no plans for Sony to bring in another developer to finish this project or create a TLOU game to take the online game’s place. HBO’s hit adaptation of The Last Of Us was recently revealed to be going into season 2 production next year with a target date of 2025 for release.
You can read Naughty Dog’s full statement on the decision here.
