On Thursday, Naughty Dog made a major announcement that shook the gaming community. The studio revealed that it had canceled its planned multiplayer game, The Last of Us Online, which was set to be a part of the hugely popular The Last of Us franchise. The project had been in the works for a while, alongside the development of the studio’s latest single-player game, The Last of Us Part II, which was released in 2020 (coming to PS5 Jan. 19, 2024). Despite years of work, Naughty Dog ultimately decided to abandon the project.

In a blog post detailing the news, Naughty Dog explained that continuing work on The Last of Us Online would have required a wholesale transformation into “a solely live service games studio.” The commitment of resources and personnel that long-term support of a multiplayer title demands would have severely curtailed their ability to keep crafting the story-driven single-player experiences that built Naughty Dog’s sterling reputation.

“So, we had two paths in front of us: become a solely live service games studio or continue to focus on single-player narrative games that have defined Naughty Dog’s heritage,” the blog post read. By canceling The Last of Us Online, they chose the latter.

Troubled Development

Signs of trouble with The Last of Us Online have bubbled up periodically over the past year. Naughty Dog first revealed they were delaying the project this past May, shortly after Bloomberg reported that parent company Sony was questioning the game’s direction. At the time, Naughty Dog also mentioned they had a brand new single-player title in the works, possibly the project that drew resources away from multiplayer.

When Naughty Dog laid off some contractors in October, Kotaku reported hearing that work on The Last of Us Online had stopped. Thursday’s official cancellation was the final nail in the coffin.

The decision aligns with Sony’s gradual retreat from its previous commitment to expand its live service offerings vastly. Where once leadership boldly promised a dozen such games by March 2026, they’ve now walked that back to half as many. Resources across the PlayStation Studios system are being consolidated around big-budget single-player experiences instead.

The Last of Us franchise, Naughty Dog’s crown jewel, will continue in that single-player vein. The studio stated they have “more than one” new non-multiplayer title taking shape. The recently released The Last of Us Part I remake has likely bought them some development runway.

As for fans awaiting their next foray into post-apocalyptic online play, sadly no such trip is forthcoming. The Last of Us Online is no more. But with Naughty Dog redoubling its focus, the series’ single-player future remains bright. The saga of Ellie, Joel and the company still has new stories left to tell.