'The Last of Us' multi-player game production cancelled by Naughty Dog

Naughty Dog, the game studio behind the game version of The Last of Us,  has called off their multiplayer project, The Last of Us Online, on Thursday, December 14, 2023.

According to Variety, Naughty Dog revealed the disappointing news in a blog post saying, “There’s no easy way to say this: We’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to stop development on that game.”

“We know this news will be tough for many, especially our dedicated The Last of Us Factions community, who have been following our multiplayer ambitions ardently. We’re equally crushed at the studio as we were looking forward to putting it in your hands,” the post further noted.

The studio decided to focus fully on single-player games as supporting the release of The    Last of Us Online would “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 company reflected on the circumstances that led to the tough decision

After announcing the cancellation of the much-anticipated game, the company said, “We have more than one ambitious, brand-new single-player game that we’re working on here at Naughty Dog, and we cannot wait to share more about what comes next when we’re ready.”

Naughty Dog had previously described The Last of Us Online as a “fresh, new experience” that is “rooted in Naughty Dog’s passion for delivering incredible stories, characters and gameplay.”

About 'The Last of Us':

The Last of Us  game  is set in post-apocalyptical America, years after the world was infected by a deadly cordyceps fungus mutant.

A smuggler named Joel is assigned the duty of bringing a young girl named Ellie, across the country in order to create a cure  as she seems to be the only person immune to the fungus.

Part 2 of the game revolves around the story of how Joel had grown to love Ellie like a daughters and  saved her from the Fireflies, a group who was set out to find a cure for the fungus by performing an operation on and killing Ellie. He even murders a Firefly surgeon in order  to protect Ellie.

 The surgeon’s daughter, Abby, sets out to seek revenge against Joel which eventually leads to an epic showdown between her and Ellie, as they both fight for their loved ones.