Highlights
- Naughty Dog canceled The Last of Us Online due to its vision becoming too grand and the studio being unable to deliver on their plan.
- The cancellation is a disappointment for fans of The Last of Us Factions, as The Last of Us Online made the lack of an updated version of Factions in the Part 1 remake an easier pill to swallow.
- Now, Factions fans have no modern version of their favorite multiplayer experience to enjoy, and with the Last of Us Remastered version of Factions only getting older, the player count will continue to shrink.
On December 14, 2023, Naughty Dog announced that work on The Last of Us Online had permanently ceased, with the project canceled due to the studio’s vision becoming too grand and it being incapable of delivering on its plan. Instead of releasing a game that does not live up to the standard of Naughty Dog’s other releases, the studio has moved away from the project and focused its attention fully on its two in-development singeplayer projects. While more singleplayer content from Naughty Dog is obviously exciting, it is a shame that four years of hard work essentially resulted in nothing - especially for the Factions community.
To be clear, the writing was on the wall regarding The Last of Us Online’s inevitable death quite some time before the cancelation. Reports from reputable journalists like Jason Schreier suggested that the project was in trouble behind the scenes, with Bungie supposedly evaluating it and arguing that it did not have the depth required to survive as a live service title. Naughty Dog had also put out an earlier statement confirming that it had nothing to show for the game after years of work, which was a bad sign that had many expecting it would be publicly canceled a few months later. Sadly, those fans were right, meaning those who love The Last of Us Factions remain without a modern multiplayer experience.
The Last of Us 2 Remastered's Most Exciting Feature Would Be a Big Boon for Any Remaster
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered has behind-the-scenes content that should become a staple of all video game remasters and re-releases.
Why The Last of Us Online’s Death is Extra Sad For Factions Fans
The Last of Us Online Was Supposed to Justify The Death of Factions
Prior to The Last of Us’ multiplayer spin-off being announced, Naughty Dog had said that The Last of Us 2 would be receiving a Factions mode just like the original game had. This would have released alongside The Last of Us 2’s critically acclaimed singleplayer offering, but the studio released a statement months prior to the game's release stating how the multiplayer would be uncoupled from the story mode of the game. While disappointing, Naughty Dog had promised that this project would be worth the longer wait, but sadly, fans’ patience was not rewarded.
What made matters worse was that The Last of Us Part 1, a PS5 remake of the original game, did not include an updated version of the Factions multiplayer mode. Again, this was somewhat forgiven because of the existence of the in-development The Last of Us Online, though fans were understandably still a bit disappointed. For many, a prettier version of the original Last of Us Factions with a new batch of players and a handful of fresh content was all that they needed. Now, not only have those players gotten no Factions in the PS5 remake, but the spin-off that was supposed to justify its removal has not come to fruition.
Rumors suggested that deep, story-focused gameplay would have been featured in The Last of Us Online , while an image showing a battle royale mode complete with a battle pass has leaked. Again, Factions fans did not ask for this or need it, as another small-scale 4v4 experience would have been enough.
There is Nothing To Fill The Void of The Last of Us Factions
Part of the reason why The Last of Us Factions was a cult classic is because it was so unique. The idea of a stealth-focused multiplayer experience with small teams was not only fairly unique in 2013, but it still is today, as it is hard to think of a valid replacement for those who love Factions. Additionally, the 12 Weeks metagame where players have to provide for their camp was surprisingly intense and very interesting, and something that a standalone game could have taken to new levels by actually letting players explore their camp. While the version of Factions in The Last of Us Remastered still has players, its status as a PS4 game means that this player count will only shrink over time, as the mode looks and feels older with every passing year. The Last of Us Online offered hope for Factions fans desperate for a similar experience, but with it canceled and Part 1 skipping multiplayer, fans are forced to abandon those dreams.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us is a 2013 game set in post-apocalyptic America. Players will take up the role of Joel, a smuggler, as he attempts to help a teenage girl named Ellie across the country. The two must avoid mutated cannibals and other dangers in their adventure.
