The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off cancelation is disappointing for fans of Factions, but this could be great news for The Last of Us 3’s development.
The Last of Us 3 may seem like a long way off for many fans of the franchise, with a lot of attention currently being placed on an upcoming remaster, or its massively successful HBO TV show. In recent times, fans have also been waiting for news regarding an anticipated multiplayer spin-off for the franchise, although a recent update from Naughty Dog spells bad news for this upcoming project.
This update sadly stated that The Last of Us‘ untitled multiplayer release is being canceled, with Naughty Dog not wanting to commit so much of its resources to a live-service release that would require years of continuous support. While this is of course disappointing for fans who were looking forward to such an ambitious twist on the usual TLoU formula, this approach from Naughty Dog could be a huge hint towards the future of The Last of Us 3.
While many fans are looking forward to The Last of Us 3, the game has not been officially confirmed by Naughty Dog as things stand.
The Last of Us 3 is Much More Likely After the IP’s Multiplayer Cancelation
A purely multiplayer spin-off for The Last of Us was first announced in 2018, originally being intended as a bold expansion to The Last of Us Part 2. The project was then seen as large enough to warrant its own standalone release with an announcement in 2022, with rumors and minor updates coming here and there ever since.
The lack of a multiplayer mode in The Last of Us Part 2 was a real sore point for many fans, especially given how popular the multiplayer mode of the first game was. While the criticism of this lack of multiplayer in the sequel was temporarily quelled by the promise of a standalone online title, these hopes have now been completely dashed following the recent Naughty Dog announcement.
Rumors pointed towards the canceled project being called The Last of Us: Factions, and it would have presumably seen players engage in PvPvE gameplay with story elements set in California. It is highly likely that a fair amount of assets for this online project have already been made, with a multiplayer experience for The Last of Us Part 2 clearly having been in Naughty Dog’s plans for some time.
Naughty Dog’s Freed-Up Resources Could Be the Start of The Last of Us 3’s Development
Naughty Dog’s reasoning behind the cancelation of preserving resources for the future could easily point towards expansive plans for The Last of Us Part 3, and the company will ensure that the time spent on the development of the multiplayer will not go to waste. Following the release of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered on January 19, fans can expect Naughty Dog to move on to more large-scale mainline releases for its major franchises.
While The Last of Us 3 will not be facing release for some time if it is in fact in the cards, Naughty Dog’s commitment to freeing up its resources for the near future is a great sign. A dedicated multiplayer game within the Last of Us universe would have been a fantastic experience, but there is a clear silver lining to its cancelation that should give fans some solace.
by JAKE SELWAY 16 Dec 2023
