The cancellation of the multiplayer project in The Last of Us universe happened just one day before its official announcement, reports logger Lance E. Lee, citing project director Vineet Agarwala.
According to reports, Sony has been actively investing in online games since around 2020, hoping to strengthen its position in this segment. The development of The Last of Us Online was progressing successfully: the project was about 80% ready and showed excellent internal results.
However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in online entertainment began to decline — many players returned to their usual lifestyles and working in offices. Against this background, the company revised its priorities.
The studio Naughty Dog faced a difficult choice: continue developing a multiplayer project or focus on the next game under the leadership of Neil Druckmann. In the end, it was decided to give preference to a new single-player project, since such games are the basis of the studio's success, unlike the experimental online direction.