The Last of Us is one of the most renowned game franchises out there and developer Naughty Dog has been working on a multiplayer spin-off game for quite a few years. The upcoming game is set in the world of The Last of Us and will feature multiplayer gameplay.
A few leaks and reports have surfaced on the internet about the multiplayer game in the last few months, providing minimal information on the game. A new report now has revealed an important detail about player count in The Last of Us multiplayer.
The Last of Us Multiplayer Could Feature up to 40 Players
The new report about the game reveals that the game could reportedly support up to 40 players’ lobby. The LinkedIn profile of Ian Blake, a former Associate Game Designer at Naughty Dog mentions that he has worked on an “unannounced multiplayer project” where he designed and implemented several systems and set pieces for the game and conducted regular playtests to polish them.
Additionally, Ian Blake also added that he “worked in a dedicated host environment, designing and optimizing for up to 40 clients” on the multiplayer project. Blake has previously worked on The Last of Us Part 1, launched in 2022 where he was responsible for puzzles, AI companion, balancing game levels, and more importantly “the Firefly Lab chapter.”
Naughty Dog has been reportedly working on The Last of Us multiplayer and the “unannounced multiplayer project” mentioned in Blake’s profile could very well be the same game. According to Ian Blake’s LinkedIn profile, he was employed at Naughty Dog from December 2022 to June 2023 and worked there for 1 year and 7 months.
The Last of Us Multiplayer: A Long Long Ride
Not much has been known about the multiplayer game other than concept art and that it will be set in a new location in the US. The multiplayer project first came to light in 2018 and Neil Druckmann, President of Naughty Dog confirmed that the game would be a standalone release at the Summer Game Fest and concept art was also unveiled for the fans. Druckmann said:
What started out as a multiplayer mode has evolved because of the team’s ambition. They really wanted to do something we’ve never done before at Naughty Dog, and we felt the way to do it justice was to make it a standalone title. They’ve been working on it for the past two years, and ambition has grown, but we’re not quite ready to unveil it yet.
A job listing at Naughty Dog also came to light suggesting that the multiplayer game would be free to play. The job listing described the role for a Live Ops Producer position for its multiplayer title with “proven experience in a production role supporting a AAA, free-to-play, live title.”
The former Principal Monetization Designer at Naughty Dog for The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off, Anders Howard, also departed from the company last month and it was connected to several other layoffs at the company. The layoffs included some quality assurance (QA) employees who were hired on a contractual basis.
There have also been rumors that the game is reportedly “on ice” after the layoffs. However, A report later confirmed that there is a small group of people working on the game despite these hurdles. The developer released a statement that it would require more time to develop the game.
There have been no information about the multiplayer game after the statement and fans can only hope that the game sees the light of day. The Last of Us has been very popular and the new multiplayer game could revive the game after the PC port of the original game proved to be a disappointment to many.
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