Naughty Dog says it will reveal its Last of Us multiplayer game ‘when it’s ready’

Naughty Dog has addressed calls for information on its in-development multiplayer project set in The Last of Us universe.

In a blog post on the Naughty Dog website celebrating The Last of Us day, the studio’s senior manager of communications Rochelle Snyder confirmed that work was underway on multiplayer following fan requests and said it would be shown publicly “when it’s ready”.

After recapping the release of The Last of Us Part II, Snyder added: “Yeah, that’s lovely and great Naughty Dog, but what are you doing with The Last of Us right now? In short, we’re working on it.

“We see the community comments as many of you clamour for multiplayer and want updates. For now, we’ll say that we love what the team is developing and want to give them time to build out their ambitious project, we’ll reveal more when it’s ready.

“To that end, we’ve been busy growing our team inside the kennel since The Last of Us Part II launched and are currently in full swing of hiring for [multiplayer]-related positions (hint hint), so if you or somebody you know qualifies for anything you see on our jobs page, apply.”

Snyder also linked back to a Naughty Dog tweet from 2019 in which the studio confirmed that The Last of Us Part II would have no online multiplayer. The 2019 tweet stated: “You will eventually experience the fruits of our team’s online ambition, but not as part of The Last of Us Part II.

“When and where it will be realised is still to be determined. But rest assured, we are as big a fan of Factions as the rest of our community and are excited to share more when it’s ready.”

further reading

Naughty Dog says it’s ‘aggressively hiring’ for its new ‘cinematic’ multiplayer game

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Although it’s not yet clear if this specific The Last of Us multiplayer project will be a standalone release or part of a new Last of Us sequel, remaster or collection, job listings spotted in June said that “Naughty Dog’s newest adventure” will be its “first standalone multiplayer game”.

“We’re seeking to bring the same level of ambition and quality of our signature, story-driven games to this unique multiplayer project,” the job ads read. “This is a rare opportunity to make an impact in your discipline and craft an experience that will be enjoyed and shared by millions of players around the world.”

Multiplayer assets reportedly buried in The Last of Us Part 2 files were discovered last month and may offer clues as to Naughty Dog’s plans for its upcoming Factions sequel, including a possible battle royale mode.