The Last of Us Online is Officially Cancelled; Confirms Naughty Dog

Naughty Dog has announced that the studio has decided to development on the long-awaited The Last of Us Online. A multiplayer spin-off for the popular PlayStation exclusive was announced back in 2020 with the release of The Last of Us Part II. The developers back then stated that the title was in 'pre-production.' Ever since the announcement, Naughty Dog has shown a plethora of concept art for the game, but fans never got to see any actual footage or gameplay for The Last of Us Online.

Also read: The Last Of Us Part II Could Be Getting A PS5 Remaster

The Last of Us Online Has Been Cancelled After Two Years of Active Development

In an official blog post by Naughty Dog on December 14, 2023, the PlayStation Studio announced that they have made an 'incredibly difficult' decision to stop the development of The Last of Us Online. The studio states that developing The Last of Us Online would require significant resources to maintain a solid stream of post-launch content. This would effectively mean a massive pivot in the creative direction of the studio from a single-player focused studio to a multiplayer, live service-oriented one. 

Naughty Dog has always been known for developing quality narrative titles, including the Uncharted franchise. While these games incorporated minor online elements, they are primarily valued for their memorable plot and characters by the fanbase. However, the online component to The Last of Us, titled Factions, gained widespread critical acclaim and continues to be one of the most popular online game modes for a Naughty Dog title. 

Despite the news, the studio stated that they were proud to learn more about investments in technology from this project and are looking forward to carrying that knowledge into future projects. Believing this statement, one can expect more features in the upcoming titles from the studio. The studio finished their announcement by confirming another single-player title currently in development. Rumours suggest that the studio could be working on a new IP in the fantasy genre.