Pandemic Posting Practices Canceled The Last of Us 2 Multiplayer Before Revealing
As a fan of The Last of Us with 237 hours logged in the PlayStation 3 version alone, mainly because it’s the first one. Groups the multiplayer mode left me completely hooked, it was hard to forgive The Naughty Dog by canceling the ambitious multiplayer sequel project.
Especially since the cancellation was shrouded in mystery, and the standalone title was never properly revealed, fans never got a glimpse of the game or the mechanic. However, the truth behind the project has already come to light, thanks to the former The Naughty Dog the director in charge of the subject.
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Vinit Agarwal joined Naughty Dog in 2014, contributed Unusual 4, The Lost Legacyagain The Last of Us Part II. But it wasn’t until 2016 that he got his own project to work on, starting as Game Director on a massively multiplayer standalone title set in the Last of Us universe.
For years, this has been one of the most anticipated mystery games in the industry, but the curtain never rose. Now, speaking on the latest episode of the Lance E. Lee Podcast, Agarwal finally shared the brutal details of the sudden cancellation.
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According to the developer, the multiplayer project has been in development for about seven years and was scheduled for a full reveal on December 15, 2023. However, it was canceled about 24 hours before that happened.
“It was very traumatic,” Agarwal explained. “I was the director of the game, and to be honest, to find out that it was being pulled 24 hours before it was announced to the public was just unfortunate. And they had to do that to control the messages.”
Agarwal also shed light on the main reason for the demise of the project: the changing tides of the gaming industry in 2022. During the COVID-19 crisis, the industry saw tremendous growth as social isolation led to millions finding refuge in online gaming.
The multiplayer project has been in development for about seven years and was scheduled for a full reveal on December 15, 2023. However, it was canceled about 24 hours before that happened.
So Sony decided to invest more money in online games, as everyone else,” commented Agarwal. The standalone multiplayer TLOU was one of the projects that received this huge boost, steadily increasing in both scope and budget. Agarwal revealed that the game was about 80% complete and making significant progress.
But, as the pandemic subsided and people returned to their offices, the industry saw a sharp decline in online engagement. And this forced a sudden change of plans for Sony. “Frankly, at some point, a decision had to be made,” Agarwal said. “Do this play or do the next play that Neil Druckmann, the president of the company, was directing. So, you can understand what happened.”
So there you go. Now we know why many players of The Last of Us Part II will never see the light of day – and how the games industry can be cruel to its developers.
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