Summary
After years of waiting,The Last of Usfans were recently met with the unfortunate news that the series’ multiplayer project had been canceled. DubbedThe Last of Us Online, the project was reported to feature interesting storytelling elements, with a battle royale mode also having leaked for the title. Naughty Dog scrapped the game after its vision reportedly grew to be too grand, with the studio feeling it could not pull the game off while maintaining the quality expected of it. As sad as it may be thatNaughty Dog’s big multiplayer gamewill never see the light of day, though, the cancelation could actually have some upsides.
To be clear,The Last of Us Onlinenot working out is devastating. It is a shame that Naughty Dog’s hard work over the last few years amounted to nothing, and it is truly upsetting that fans ofThe Last of UsFactions might never get another multiplayer experience from the series. It obviously would have been for the best if the game had released as planned, as it could have provided a fresh look at the series’ post-apocalyptic universe. Still, with plenty said about how much of a shame the death of the game is, it is worth it to try to look for some positives regarding the failed project.
The Last of Us Online’s Cancelation Could Be a Useful Lesson For Naughty Dog
A Motivated Naughty Dog Can Now Focus Fully on What It Does Best
WhileThe Last of UsFactionsfans in particular are understandably sad aboutTLoU Online’s cancelation, the game’s battle royale focus means that it likely would not have been the game they wanted anyway. Additionally, Naughty Dog tying a large portion of its team down to a live service title that requires constant support could have meant less singleplayer content from a studio that truly shines in that area. While Factions is a cult classic, few would choose it over the stories inThe Last of Us,Uncharted, and so on, so if the choice is between more singleplayer games or a thriving live service project instead of getting both, most would prefer the former.
WithThe Last of Us Onlineabandoned,Naughty Dogis now able to go full steam ahead on two singleplayer games, delivering more of its brilliantly crafted narratives and likable characters in the coming years. A multiplayer game would have always risked losing that trademark Naughty Dog storytelling that has caused its games to become so critically acclaimed, as it would be motivating players to forge their own stories instead. While creative mechanics like notes inThe Last of Us Onlinecould have helped with this, many of Naughty Dog’s fans prefer the singleplayer games the studio is returning to. Plus, gamers will soon be seeing what an extra motivated Naughty Dog looks like, as the developer will want to win back fans and make up for the disappointing news.
Sony could also benefit fromThe Last of Us Online’s cancelation, as it can use the experience from this failed project to make surePlayStation’s other live service gamesdeliver. Lessons can be learned fromThe Last of Us Onlinegetting out of hand and reportedly not having a strong enough loop to work as a live service game, assuming reports about Bungie’s evaluation of it are true.
Naughty Dog Could Repurpose Ideas and Tech From The Last of Us Online
Aside from Naughty Dog viewingThe Last of Us Onlineas a reminder that singleplayer games should remain its bread and butter, the developer could also reuse some of the ideas it had forThe Last of Us Onlinein its future games. Thebattle royale modecould have brought things like deep revive mechanics, emotes, character customization and more to the mix, all of which could be repurposed within a singleplayer title. Character customization could be a key part of Naughty Dog’s rumored sci-fi game, while emotes and revives could be used to add humor and depth to any NPC interactions. This is in addition to any engine refinements and gameplay improvements, which could surely be carried over toThe Last of Us 3or any other third person Naughty Dog project.
Though unlikely, perhaps certain map locations could be split up into smaller play spaces for a small-scale Factions mode inThe Last of Us 3, if such a game ever happens. Similar to howCall of Duty: Warzonemapsare split up into Ground War locations forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare’s multiplayer, Naughty Dog does not have to let its world design assets go to waste, as those locations could be repurposed for a different project. While a full Naughty Dog multiplayer game clearly did not work out, perhaps some of the work done on it could be carried over to a smaller PvP mode like the originalLast of UsandUnchartedoffered.
The Last of Us
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience the emotional storytelling and unforgettable characters in The Last of Us, winner of over 200 Game of the Year awards. In a ravaged civilization, where infected and hardened survivors run rampant, Joel, a weary protagonist, is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a military quarantine zone. However, what starts as a small job soon transforms into a brutal cross-country journey. Includes the complete The Last of Us single-player story and celebrated prequel chapter, Left Behind, which explores the events that changed the lives of Ellie and her best friend Riley forever.
