HBO
A much-anticipated The Last of Us multiplayer recreation has been canceled by recreation developer Naughty Dog, a call the studio describes as crushing.
“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,” the corporate has posted on its web site. “We’re equally crushed at the studio as we were looking forward to putting it in your hands. We wanted to share with you some background of how we came to this decision.”
According to Naughty Dog, the “massive scope” of the multiplayer venture – which might have been titled The Last of Us Online – was drawing studio assets away from Naughty Dog’s major concern of single-player video games, a line-up that has included the immensely well-liked The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II.
The recreation was the inspiration for the hit 2023 HBO post-apocalyptic drama sequence The Last of Us starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
In its lengthy statement concerning the recreation cancelation – learn it beneath – Naughty Dog says, “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.”
Naughty Dog notes that the “learnings and investments in technology” that resulted from the event of the now-canceled recreation “will carry into how we develop our projects and will be invaluable in the direction we are headed as a studio.”
The firm says it has “more than one” bold single participant recreation within the works.
Here’s the total assertion from Naughty Dog:
We notice lots of you’ve been anticipating information across the venture that we’ve been calling The Last of Us Online. There’s no straightforward technique to say this: We’ve made the extremely troublesome determination to cease growth on that recreation.
We know this information will probably be robust for a lot of, particularly our devoted The Last of Us Factions neighborhood, who’ve been following our multiplayer ambitions ardently. We’re equally crushed on the studio as we had been trying ahead to placing it in your arms. We wished to share with you some background of how we got here to this determination.
The multiplayer staff has been in pre-production with this recreation since we had been engaged on The Last of Us Part II – crafting an expertise we felt was distinctive and had great potential. As the multiplayer staff iterated on their idea for The Last of Us Online throughout this time, their imaginative and prescient crystalized, the gameplay received extra refined and satisfying, and we had been enthusiastic concerning the course through which we had been headed.
In ramping as much as full manufacturing, the huge scope of our ambition turned clear. To launch and assist The Last of Us Online we’d should put all our studio assets behind supporting put up launch content material for years to come back, severely impacting growth on future single-player video games. So, we had two paths in entrance of us: grow to be a solely stay service video games studio or proceed to give attention to single-player narrative video games which have outlined Naughty Dog’s heritage.
We are immensely happy with everybody on the studio that touched this venture. The learnings and investments in expertise from this recreation will carry into how we develop our tasks and will probably be invaluable within the course we’re headed as a studio. We have a couple of bold, model new single participant recreation that we’re engaged on right here at Naughty Dog, and we can’t wait to share extra about what comes subsequent once we’re prepared.
Until then, we’re extremely grateful to our neighborhood in your assist all through the years.
