PlayStation quietly cancels upcoming exclusive

One insider is claiming that, despite recent reports, Naughty Dog’s upcoming The Last of Us multiplayer game is completely cancelled.

It’s been a rocky year for Naughty Dog in terms of gaming output. HBO’s TV adaptation of The Last of Us was a colossal success, but that’s about where the success ends. The Last of Us Part I’s PC launch was, fair to say, disastrous. The bug and glitch ridden mess was unplayable for so many. The upcoming The Last of Us multiplayer project was then due to be unveiled this summer, but that was indefinitely delayed. Since then, the studio confirmed they’re working on a new single-player project - with one insider teasing a Mass Effect-style new IP, The Last of Us Part III and a remaster of The Last of Us Part II. In the meantime though, we’re learning a bit more about the state of the multiplayer release.

Take a look at HBO’s The Last of Us in action below.

The upcoming The Last of Us multiplayer was supposedly due to be shown off during Sony’s summer PlayStation Showcase but it was nowhere to be seen. To date, all we’ve seen is concept art. In late May, Naughty Dog put out a statement saying: “We’ve realised what is best for the game is to give it more time.” Reports then claimed that fellow studio Bungie had raised concerns over the longevity of the game during an external review.

Bloomberg later suggested that the team had been downscaled, and just last week, a fresh report claimed that the game was “on ice” although not completely cancelled. This news did land as Naughty Dog laid off a number of contracted staff. The game’s principal monetisation designer Anders Howard, who’d come over to the studio from Epic, also seemingly departed the project last week.

Now, insider ViewerAnon is claiming that the game is cancelled altogether, tweeting, “It’s dead.” ViewerAnon was the first to leak early details on Part III, although it remains to be seen if these are accurate, so take all of this with a pinch of salt. Looking at the cold hard evidence though, it’s definitely not looking good for the game.

It’s a great shame because Naughty Dog fans haven’t received a truly original game since 2020, and that looks set to continue if a remastered Part II is next on the release schedule. We’ll be keeping an eye on the situation.