Naughty Dog is canceling The Last of Us Online

Supporting The Last of Us Online would divert too many resources from single-player games, Naughty Dog says

After years of teases, reveals, concept art, and delays, Naughty Dog is canceling The Last of Us Online. The studio published a blog post outlining the reasons for canceling The Last of Us multiplayer game, chief among which was the realization that Naughty Dog would have to divert resources away from single-player games to support ongoing updates for the live-service game.

Naughty Dog previously said The Last of Us Online would combine Factions gameplay with the kind of narrative players expect from the series.

“The multiplayer team has been in pre-production with this game since we were working on The Last of Us Part II – crafting an experience we felt was unique and had tremendous potential,” Naughty Dog said in the post. “As the multiplayer team iterated on their concept for The Last of Us Online during this time, their vision crystalized, the gameplay got more refined and satisfying, and we were enthusiastic about the direction in which we were headed.”

“In ramping up to full production, the massive scope of our ambition became clear. To release and support The Last of Us Online we’d have to put all our studio resources behind supporting post launch content for years to come, severely impacting development on future single-player games. So, we had two paths in front of us: become a solely live service games studio or continue to focus on single-player narrative games that have defined Naughty Dog’s heritage.”

The news comes after Naughty Dog reportedly laid off contractors following extended trouble developing The Last of Us Online. Naughty Dog never publicly acknowledged the layoffs or the troubled development cycle. The studio didn’t say what will happen to the employees who were working on The Last of Us Online – whether they’ll be reassigned to single-player projects or if they’ll be laid off as well.

Meanwhile, Naughty Dog is planning to release The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered in January 2024.