At the end of 2023, Sony Interactive Entertainment decided to stop development of the standalone multiplayer project in the world of “The Last of Us.” A move that, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, was not without consequences internally.
In recent years, the developers at Naughty Dog have been working on a standalone multiplayer title in the universe of “The Last of Us”.
Although official statements have been scarce in recent years, statements from various insiders suggested that the development of the multiplayer title was anything but smooth. Sony Interactive Entertainment and Naughty Dog provided sad certainty in December 2023.
In a official blog post The makers of “The Last of Us” pointed out that work on the online title had been stopped. A step that was justified, among other things, by the underestimated effort involved in the multiplayer title. As Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier states in a podcast, the end of the project was not without consequences internally.
Schreier reports of “rolling heads”
In the latest edition of the “Friends Per Second” podcast, Schreier spoke about various topics, including the halt in development of the “The Last of Us” multiplayer project. According to the Bloomberg journalist and well-connected insider, the step of stopping work on the title was ultimately the right decision.
However, Schreier explained that the development stop had unpleasant consequences internally.
Without going into further detail, Schreier pointed out that after the end of the costly project, “heads rolled internally.” On the one hand, Schreier is probably referring to the layoffs that the PlayStation division made in February 2024. The wave of layoffs cost almost 900 people their jobs.
Naughty Dog was also not spared from the cost-cutting measures. It is also conceivable that the failure of “The Last of Us Online” also led to personnel consequences among the project’s senior management. However, nothing has been confirmed in this regard.
Schreier speaks of an expensive failure
According to Schreier, “The Last of Us Online” was a costly flop. Numerous developers are said to have worked on the multiplayer project in recent years.
“Naughty Dog’s Factions game was in development for about four years, with a team of several hundred people. That’s an expensive undertaking for something that was a failure,” Schreier continued.
The insider explained: “And the fact that this project was canceled was not a bloodless undertaking. A lot of heads rolled at Sony because of it.”
Naughty Dog is currently working on a new project that, according to the studio, “could redefine mainstream perception.”
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