While although Naughty Dog is recognized for its hallmark releases and timeless experiences throughout the timeline for PlayStation, the firm has run into a speed bump when it came to its multiplayer sequel for The Last of Us Part II. Originally announced back in June 2022, the Uncharted developer shared it is officially on the way. But, there has been drama that tailed behind the project since.
One of the biggest red flags was a slew of layoffs at the PlayStation Studios team earlier in 2023. Additionally, Naughty Dog went ahead with a formal apology and asked for its followers to utilize extra time to pursue the game the way it is promised. Howbeit, things over at PlayStation are turning for the worst on its live-service front with roughly half of the internal projects being delayed, it was reported.
This Thursday, Naughty Dog went ahead to announce that the upcoming ‘Factions II’ is not going to be completed. It shares that work will be halted indefinitely and greatly apologizes to those anticipating the release. “There’s no easy way to say this: We’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to stop development on that game.”
We know this news will be tough for many, especially our dedicated The Last of Us Factions community, who have been following our multiplayer ambitions ardently. We’re equally crushed at the studio as we were looking forward to putting it in your hands. We wanted to share with you some background of how we came to this decision.
The multiplayer team has been in pre-production with this game since we were working on The Last of Us Part II – crafting an experience we felt was unique and had tremendous potential. 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.
“In ramping up to full production, the massive scope of our ambition became clear. To release and support The Last of Us Online we’d have to put all our studio resources behind supporting post launch content for years to come, severely impacting development on future single-player games. 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.
“We are immensely proud of everyone at the studio that touched this project. The learnings and investments in technology from this game will carry into how we develop our projects and will be invaluable in the direction we are headed as a studio. We have more than one ambitious, brand new single player game that we’re working on here at Naughty Dog, and we cannot wait to share more about what comes next when we’re ready.”
Now taking what Naughty Dog already confirmed recently, a proper remaster for The Last of Us Part II is on the way. In tow with the work already incorporated for the 2013 remake that launched previously, reports did point at a remake for Uncharted. You can read the full report by heading here.
What is your response to Naughty Dog’s decision for Factions II?
Source: Naughty Dog
