After the unfortunate layoffs at Naughty Dog, there were reports of the planned multiplayer game based on The Last of Us being put on ice, for the near future. Now, an insider has revealed the project might not see the light of day. Naughty Dog recently laid off 25 employees from the Quality Assurance team, who will remain at Sony’s subsidiary gaming studio till the end of October before reportedly leaving without any severance.
Naughty Dog made an official announcement back in May this year that their plans for the multiplayer game were being pushed back after realizing more time was required. In the same statement, a “brand new single-player” title was also announced, although there have not been any updates or hints in relation to the same.
Insider Confirms Multiplayer Game by Naughty Dog Not Under Development
The Last of Us had a multiplayer mode, Factions, which wasn’t carried over to the game’s sequel but garnered a lot of positive reviews and was follow by fans. As fans missed the multiplayer mode in the sequel, a standalone multiplayer game was announced back in June last year.
Sony had recently acquired Bungie to assess their live-service games and their longevity, and Bungie in turn had reportedly raised a lot of questions about The Last of Us. In May this year, Neil Druckmann announced that the planned multiplayer game was reportedly being shelved temporarily, stating that “what is best for the game is to give it more time”.
Now, a gaming insider has confirmed that the project is not just delayed or on hold, but is killed off for good. According to well-known movie and gaming insider ViewerAnon, who has leaked accurate news in the past, replied to a post on X (formerly Twitter) stating, “It’s dead“.
It’s dead, Jim.
— ViewerAnon (@ViewerAnon) October 5, 2023
While this confirmation might dishearten fans everywhere who were hopeful of seeing a new iteration of the multiplayer game set in the world of The Last of Us, fans can still stay hopeful of a new single-player game with the focus shifting to Marvel’s Wolverine once Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 gets released.
Jim Ryan Believes Single-Player Games Are Bedrock of Sony’s First-Party Games, But What Does That Mean for Naughty Dog?
Jim Ryan recently announced his departure from PlayStation, handing over the keys to Hiroki Totoki, who will step in as interim CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. In an interview last year, Ryan mentioned that Sony gained a lot more from their Bungie acquisition than what Microsoft would gain with their acquisition of Activision Blizzard once they finally settled.
Also Read: Naughty Dog Is the Latest Company to Lay Off Its Staff – What’s Going On?
In the same interview, Ryan mentioned that single-player games would always be the “bedrock” of Sony’s first-party publishing business, with “graphically beautiful narratives“. He had also mentioned that the overall expectation was to see single-player games bring “slightly greater sales and profitability“.
Ryan also revealed Sony’s plans to launch two or more PlayStation 5 titles every year, starting this year, in a Business Segment Meeting earlier this year. It was said to cover “every major genre“, with a mix of “Single-player and Live Services“, and balance “big franchises and new IP“.
While Sony’s catalog of single-player games has a lot of options, the live-services catalog had a handful of studios mentioned, which included Naughty Dog as well. The live-services plans involving Naughty Dog are now likely to be revamped following the cancellation of the Factions Multiplayer standalone title. On the other hand, Bungie’s Destiny 2 is heading to a finale as well, with the final chapter The Final Shape coming out on the 27th of February 2024.
Are you looking forward to a multiplayer game by Naughty Dog in the future? Make sure to leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.
Source: X
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