Updated (05/26/23) –
As Bloomberg reports, the “quality and long-term viability” of the highly-anticipated multiplayer game The Last of Us has apparently been called into question. As a result, sources claim that “a small group is sticking with the project while the company reevaluates direction.”
Bloomberg notes that the game has not been canceled at this time, however many of the developers working on the project have been reassigned to others within the company.
Following Bloomberg’s request for comment from Naughty Dog, the studio released the statement, which you can read in the original story below.
Naughty Dog not only apologized for not being ready to present The Last of Us multiplayer game due to the project taking a little more time, but also confirmed that they are hard at work on a “brand new single player experience.” “ work.
Naughty Dog took to Twitter to share the update with its fans as many were expecting the multiplayer game The Last of Us to be coming to the latest PlayStation Showcase. However, Naughty Dog confirmed that the team realized the best thing for the game is to give it more time before it’s released to the world.
pic.twitter.com/DOeO8ZHSlh
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) May 26, 2023
“We know many of you have been excited to learn more about our multiplayer game The Last of Us,” wrote Naughty Dog. “We’re incredibly proud of the work our studio has done so far, but over the course of development we’ve realized that the best thing for the game is to give it more time.”
“Our team will continue to work on the project as well as our other games in development, including a brand new single player experience; we look forward to sharing more soon.”
“We are grateful to our amazing community for your support – thank you for your passion for our games, it continues to drive us.”
The reference to the “all-new single-player experience” is obviously exciting, but Naughty Dog had previously confirmed that the studio had already picked its next game, though didn’t go as far as to confirm if it was The Last of Us Part 3 or something else entirely.
However, fans of The Last of Us might be pleased to know that there is a draft for the next chapter of The Last of Us, but it hasn’t been created yet.
We still don’t know much about The Last of Us multiplayer game, but Naughty Dog shared some concept art of the project earlier this year, saying that “the project is shaping up to be a fresh new experience from our studio.” but one that’s rooted in Naughty Dog’s passion for delivering incredible stories, characters, and gameplay.”
Naughty Dog has also said that we’ll be learning more about the game this year, and this post makes no mention of changing that plan.
For more information, check out everything that made it into the PlayStation Showcase, our look back at the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us, and how we think HBO could adapt The Last of Us Part 2 for TV .
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
