The Last of Us Online Was No Side Project, and Its Cancellation Remade Naughty Dog
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Industry reports reveal that the cancelled Last of Us Online was a massive flagship project for Naughty Dog rather than a side mode, directly shaping the studio's current development pipeline.
New reporting from industry insider Jason Schreier, originally covered by IGN, reveals that Naughty Dog treated The Last of Us Online as a major flagship release rather than a casual side project. The ambitious multiplayer title consumed significant studio resources and time following the release of The Last of Us Part 2, serving as a primary reason for the noticeable gap in the studio's release schedule over the last several years.
Development on the multiplayer project spanned roughly seven years, with the plug ultimately pulled when the team realized the massive long-term support required for a live-service game would forever alter the single-player focus of the studio. According to the reports, the majority of the developers currently working on Naughty Dog's mysterious new project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, actually transitioned over only after the multiplayer game was officially scrapped at around the eighty percent completion mark.
While fans who loved the gritty tactical combat of the original Factions mode are still mourning what could have been, the studio has clearly shifted gears toward its next slate of games. With information on Intergalactic remaining scarce and rumors swirling about potential future installments in the Uncharted and Last of Us franchises, players are left waiting to see how Naughty Dog bounces back from years of diverted resources.
Tags: Naughty Dog, PlayStation, The Last of Us, Gaming News
Original article: IGN South Africa