The Last of Us multiplayer unveils lobby size

There’s one question almost every PlayStation fan wants answered: Will Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us multiplayer game ever be released?

It’s no secret that Naughty Dog has found itself in a sticky situation. To date, we’ve not seen any gameplay footage of the upcoming The Last of Us multiplayer game - only two pieces of concept art. It’s believed that the game was due to be shown off earlier this summer at the PlayStation Showcase or during Summer Game Fest. After it didn’t appear, Bloomberg reported that the project had run into difficulty, with Naughty Dog later confirming a delay. Sources claim that Bungie ran a review on the game, highlighting major concerns over its longevity. Last month, we then heard the game was “on ice” with one insider even claiming it was completely cancelled.

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

As far as official wording is concerned, the game is still in development. Although it’s interesting that the game’s principal monetisation designer Anders Howard, who’d come over to the studio from Epic, seemingly departed the project last week. Fair to say that it’s looking more likely that the multiplayer is doomed, but we’ll remain hopeful. One thing we do now know though is just how big the game’s lobbies would have been.

As reported by GamingBolt, this detail comes courtesy of Naughty Dog employee Ian Blake who wrote on his LinkedIn page that he had experience optimising and designing environments for up to 40 players. This would make The Last of Us multiplayer far bigger than Factions, as suspected, which had much smaller lobbies.

In fact, 40 player lobbies would put the TLOU multiplayer on par with major shooters like Call of Duty. I guess we’ll have to continue waiting to see if the game ever actually manifests.