The Last of Us Multiplayer is Canceled, Naughty Dog Confirms No More 'Factions'

Sad news for all Naughty Dog fans, as the company has confirmed that it already canceled its The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off today, a supposed project that was coming from the company. Supposedly, this so-called "Factions" or The Last of Us Online project was set to bring the survival action game to the world, centering on an immersive open world.

The Last of Us Multiplayer Canceled by Naughty Dog

A recent blog post by Naughty Dog confirms a somber development in The Last of Us franchise, as the company's take on a multiplayer spin-off for the series is now dead.

Naughty Dog confirmed that they had worked on this multiplayer game around the same time it developed The Last of Us Part II, initially seeing potential in what it had to offer.

As the multiplayer team iterated on their concept for The Last of Us Online during this time, their vision crystalized, the gameplay got more refined and satisfying, and we were enthusiastic about the direction in which we were headed.

However, this led them to face massive decisions in letting go of its resources to put their focus on this multiplayer title.

'Factions' Spin-Off Bids Goodbye, But Why?

Also called "Factions," the company claimed that supporting the game means that it would have to give it a massive focus, especially with its post-launch content for the years to come, one that it projected to affect its single-player narrative games.

With that, the company made the sacrifice of axing its The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off, mainly centering on its strengths of single-player games for its future releases.

This means that Naughty Dog will continue its development of said franchises and new stories from the company, with the multiplayer experience unknown if it will surface again.

The Last of Us Franchise

For many years, Naughty Dog has centered on single-player heavy games, with one of its most iconic releases, The Last of Us, which debuted in 2023, centering on a different kind of apocalypse. While the nefarious beings here seem like the undead, a.k.a. Zombies, they are actually infected by cordyceps, a.k.a. CBI (cordyceps brain infection) which are parasitic fungal infections.

Another renowned single-player franchise from Naughty Dog brought Uncharted to the world, diving deep into the world of crime and theft.

The renowned games developing company followed up with the sequel of TLOU, with The Last of Us Part II, but what was coming next to it was a multiplayer spin-off claimed to be called Factions.

While being one of the most anticipated experiences from Naughty Dog, many expected the franchise to release a sequel to the mainline TLOU series, as well as PC ports. Now, The Last of Us Online's development is canceled, with Naughty Dog breaking the news to the world around the same time it was leaked, to focus on its core of single-player experiences.