Naughty Dog has lived up to many promises this week, delivering a meaty release date trailer for The Last Of Us 2 as well as allowing media to finally play the game and share their thoughts online. One promise Naughty Dog has broken, however, is its pledge to develop a multiplayer mode for the studio's highly anticipated upcoming sequel.
Emilia Schatz, lead game designer on The Last Of Us 2, told US Gamer that multiplayer would not be making a return from the previous game, citing that the studio is “focusing on a single-player experience, so we're just making a single-player game.” A Sony representative later doubled down on the report, echoing that multiplayer would not return for the sequel.
This may come as a shock to many after Naughty Dog confirmed that multiplayer would be making a triumphant return inThe Last Of Us 2. While the first game's Faction Mode multiplayer didn’t get much attention when The Last Of Us released back in 2013, fans of the game started to flock to it in the months following the game’s release.
Over the years, it cultivated a small but passionate community who have stuck with the multiplayer mode ever since. Admittedly, Naughty Dog was very quiet about what game types, features, or details would make it into the franchise's next iteration of multiplayer back when they announced its revival, so it could’ve been an idea on the drawing board that the company scrapped to put more focus on the main campaign.
Luckily, fans shouldn’t worry too much about The Last Of Us 2 lacking content without Faction Mode to keep them busy. Naughty Dog has claimed the sequel is the biggest game it has ever made, so big in fact that the release has been separated into two Blu-ray discs. There will no doubt be enough content in the main campaign to keep fans of the franchise busy for a good while, especially with Naughty Dog’s recent updates teasing the franchise’s most thrilling combat and stealth mechanics yet.
Celebrating their yearly event, Outbreak Day, Naughty Dog has allowed influencers and press to unveil some brand-new details, including the game’s improved AI, melee combat and a synopsis of the story. While some might be disappointed that multiplayer won’t be making a return in The Last Of Us 2, it’s clear Naughty Dog have used the time to make sure the game is as bold, brutal and beautiful as ever as it inches ever closer to its 2020 release date.
The Last of Us Part 2 will release for PlayStation 4 on February 21st, 2020
Source: USGamer
