The Last of Us has cradled a fanbase that video games often struggle with. Usually, gaming sticks to its niche by being interactive experiences that players enjoy on their preferred gaming platforms. But occasionally, a video game’s success attracts the attention of all kinds of gamers (and views), thanks to transmedia narratives. Enjoyed the game? Enjoy the TV Show. Perhaps a real-life horror park based on the same. And so on.
In the case of The Last of Us, Naughty Dog’s magnum opus has had enough reboots and remasters to survive a long run of fans coming in from different backgrounds. The game’s rumoured multiplayer spin-off has been in development for a while now. However, a recent tweet from Jason Schereir may change anticipation for the upcoming title, possibly at the risk of sacrificing it in hopes of The Last of Us: Part III instead.
i'll say this the jason schreier article about the TLOU multiplayer is complete bullshit and TLOU Part III is in heavy development. https://t.co/QvucoCOAyq
— The Tipster (@thetipsterVG) September 25, 2023
The Last of Us Multiplayer Game – What’s the Holdup?
The Last of Us’ legacy isn’t an easy one to maintain, especially when fans of online gaming are willing to join the existing fanbase. According to sources, the development for the upcoming game has taken a hit. Based on the grand vision for quality and next-gen relevance, few people who have been working on the project have claimed. They’ve also mentioned how the team behind the game has been scaled down.
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) May 26, 2023
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This is in no way a shot at closing down the project entirely. The Last of Us multiplayer game will very much be a thing, just not as soon as we’d like it to be. So far, it’s been speculated that the game has been in development for over four years now. For a multiplayer spin-off to take this long to develop does raise pessimism. Then again, maybe Naughty Dog has truly shifted their attention to The Last of Us: Part III instead. Or a brand new IP altogether.
The Last of Us as a Live-Service Game? A Risky Idea.
Ever since the release of The Last of Us: Part II, the franchise’s fanbase has been divided in two. Some loved Naughty Dog’s new narrative direction and solid gameplay mechanics, while others despised the game for not being true to its roots. There’s no denying that Naughty Dog will take a while to regain the love of its otherwise faithful community,
From what we know, Sony may have invested its interest in a now-popular ‘live-service’ model of video games, where games are designed with the sole intention of continuous updates (referred to as seasons in many titles) that keep the player’s interest alive and focus on gameplay changes for both PvE and PvP genres of multiplayer experiences.
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The cause of concern here is the nature of multiplayer games, especially when they’re live-service. In retrospect, the modern era of multiplayer gaming is crowded with free-to-play titles trying to be relevant at all costs. Naughty Dog’s reputation for making excellent single-player campaigns is a thing of inspiration for artists and game developers alike. But their experience with shifting an entire IP towards a darker, more toxic sub-culture of the gaming environment? We might just have to look hard for the light here.
What are your thoughts on Naughty Dog’s upcoming The Last of Us multiplayer game? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Bloomberg
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