Update (5/26/23) – The Last of Us multiplayer game has reportedly faced “setbacks” at Naughty Dog and Sony has allegedly “slowed down development” on the project after a recent evaluation.
As reported by Bloomberg, the “quality and long-term viability” of the much-anticipated The Last of Us multiplayer game has seemingly come into question. As a result, sources have claimed a “small group remains on the project while the company reevaluates the direction.”
Bloomberg notes the game has not been canceled at this time, but many of the developers that were working on the project have been moved to others within the company.
Following Bloomberg’s request for comment from Naughty Dog, the studio released the statement you can read below in the original story.
In addition to apologizing that it wasn’t ready to show off The Last of Us multiplayer game as the project needs a bit more time, Naughty Dog also confirmed it is hard at work at a “brand new single-player experience.”
Naughty Dog took to Twitter to share the update with its fans, as many were expecting The Last of Us multiplayer game to make an appearance at the latest PlayStation Showcase. However, Naughty Dog confirmed the team realized the best thing for the game is to give it more time before it is shown off to the world.
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) May 26, 2023
“We know many of you have been looking forward to hearing more about our The Last of Us multiplayer game,” Naughty Dog wrote. “We’re incredibly proud of the job our studio has done thus far, but as development has continued, we’ve realized what is best for the game is to give it more time.
“Our team will continue to work on the project, as well as our other games in development, including a brand new single-player experience; we look forward to sharing more soon.
“We’re grateful to our fantastic community for your support – thank you for your passion for our games, it continues to drive us.”
The note about the “brand new single-player experience” is obviously an exciting one, but Naughty Dog had previously confirmed the studio had already chosen its next game but didn’t go so far as to confirm whether it was The Last of Us Part 3 or something else entirely.
However, The Last of Us fans may be happy to know that there is an outline for the next chapter in The Last of Us, but it isn’t being made… yet.
We still don’t know a ton about The Last of Us multiplayer game, but Naughty Dog did share some concept art from the project earlier this year and say that “the project is shaping up to be a fresh, new experience from our studio, but one rooted in Naughty Dog’s passion for delivering incredible stories, characters, and gameplay.”
Naughty Dog also did say we would learn more about the game this year, and this post makes no mention on that plan being changed.
For more, check out everything that did make it into the PlayStation Showcase, our review of the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us, and how we think HBO could adapt The Last of Us Part 2 for TV.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
