The Last of Us Multiplayer Game Reportedly in Trouble at Naughty Dog

It sounds like Naughty Dog’s multiplayer game set within the world of The Last of Us continues to be in trouble behind the scenes. Back in May, Naughty Dog shared with fans that its The Last of Us multiplayer game needed “more time” before the studio was ready to show it off to the world. This announcement came in the wake of a high-profile report claiming that Naughty Dog had internally “scaled back” the resources it was dedicating to the project. Now, it sounds like work on the game may have reached a complete halt, even though it’s not canceled just yet. 

According to Kotaku, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us multiplayer game is currently “on ice” at the company. This information is said to come by way of a source familiar with the title. Although it was stressed that this game hasn’t been canceled, it seems like Naughty Dog has greatly slowed down its work as it looks to figure out what to do with the project. This news also comes in tandem with Naughty Dog suffering a number of layoffs, further indicating difficulties at the developer.

By all accounts, the development history with this unseen The Last of Us multiplayer game has been long and tumultuous. Originally, The Last of Us Part II was meant to contain a multiplayer mode similar to the original The Last of Us. However, Naughty Dog said that this mode outgrew the studio’s original ambitions which led to it becoming its own independent game. Since that time, fans have been eager to see what this standalone title would look like and Naughty Dog previously promised that it would share more in 2023. Unfortunately, the PS5 multiplayer game has now been delayed indefinitely and it’s not known if it will ever see the light of day. 

What’s Next for Naughty Dog?

Outside of this multiplayer venture, Naughty Dog has made clear that it’s also working on a new single-player game for PlayStation 5 as well. This unannounced game is being directed by Neil Druckmann and is reportedly going to be The Last of Us Part III. Given how popular The Last of Us has been over the past decade with its two video game installments and accompanying TV series on HBO, it wouldn’t be much of a shock to see Naughty Dog work on a new entry in the franchise. 

Perhaps the biggest question with Naughty Dog, though, comes with when it will announce any of these mysterious titles. In the past, Naughty Dog has been a studio that has revealed its next games far in advance of their eventual releases. This time around, though, it seems like those in charge at the company are looking to change course and sit on these reveals for a bit longer than in the past. As such, it’s not known when The Last of Us Part III (or a different project) will be shown off to the world, but there’s a chance we could learn more before 2023 wraps up.