Summary
Unconstrained from the trap of a sunk-cost fallacy, Naughty Dog has cut its losses onThe Last of Usmultiplayer title, moving ahead with the development ofThe Last of Us Part 3, but what is discarded can be repurposed. Though the genre experiment may never have gotten off the ground, its inception in the first game’s Factions mode is still fondly remembered, and a scaled-back version of what they had in store for the standalone multiplayer title would be a welcome addition to round out the complete package ofThe Last of Us Part 3.
First announced in 2018,The Last of Usmultiplayer title began as a plannedexpansion forThe Last of Us Part 2,but its scope eventually grew to a point where Naughty Dog thought it would be better served as a standalone product. The game was teased during the 2022 Summer Game Fest, offering scant details, with many theorizing it would either fit the mold of an open-world survival shooter likeDayZ,or its extraction shooter sub-genre, more akin toEscape From Tarkov. Production was seemingly mired in delays and feature creep, with Bungie, at one point, being brought in to lend its live-service acumen to the game’s development.
Cutting Losses and Pressing Forward
In December 2023, the title was officially canceled, citing its detrimental effect on the development of Naughty Dog’s single-player games. Its magnitude had ballooned to such a point where the studio could no longer juggle its production with all of its other endeavors. Fans, especially those who still yearned for the unique gameplay ofThe Last of Us Part 1’sFactions mode, were crushed by the news, but given some small reprieve later in February 2024, when the studio confirmed the activedevelopment ofThe Last of Us Part 3.
Crafting with Scrap
With so much effort put into a product that will never see the light of day, the reasonable next step is to sift through the salvage to see what may be reclaimed. ForNaughty Dog’sThe Last of Us Part 3, the largest draw will undoubtedly be furthering the narratives of Ellie and Abby, but fans of the Factions mode, who had their anticipation wound up forThe Last of Usmultiplayer title, will be left wanting. For that contingent of fans, it would make sense to put together some scaled-down version of Naughty Dog’s vision for the multiplayer title inThe Last of Us Part 3,even if it is just a modern re-tooling of the original Factions mode.
Naughty Dog Is At a Crossroad
Antiquity of the Factions Mode
Tacked-on multiplayer modes in AAA single-player games are fast becoming relics of a bygone era. Once fairly common, studios are now less inclined to split focus, and more incentivized to create standalone multiplayer titles that can bring in long-term revenue from in-game monetization. Few multiplayer modes were received as warmly asThe Last of Us Part 1’s Factions though, and surely, with thework put into the scrappedThe Last of Usmultiplayer game, something could be cobbled together with relative ease.
It will be up to Naughty Dog, and whether it still has interest in creating an endearing multiplayer experience after the recent boondoggle. On one hand, the studio has a perfect jumping-off point, and if it can rein in its scope, can create a faithful re-imagining of the original Factions mode forThe Last of Us Part 3. On the other hand, however, the protracted and futile development may have left a bad taste in the studio’s mouth, which may look to get back to the emotionally resounding single-player stories that made Naughty Dog such a prestigious studio. Regardless of the studio’s decision,The Last of Us Part 3remains one of gaming’s most anticipated titles.
