Vinit Agarwal, the former director of Naughty Dog's cancelled The Last of Us multiplayer game, said over the weekend he is "never going to let what I work on not see the light of day again" after the studio shelved the project in December 2023. [1]
Agarwal said he learned of the cancellation about 24 hours before the public announcement and called it "soul crushing." He also said former Naughty Dog team members still contact him to say The Last of Us Online was "how amazing" and "still the best multiplayer game they've ever played." [1]
Naughty Dog had first said in 2019 that its work on Factions for The Last of Us Part 2 had grown beyond an add-on mode and would release separately. The Last of Us Part 2 shipped in 2020. [1]
The studio later said in May 2023 that the project needed more time before cancelling the standalone multiplayer game in December 2023. Agarwal has said the online project was roughly 80 percent finished when it was cut. [1]
Agarwal's comments came as fans continued to revisit the fate of the multiplayer project, but he has not said what he will work on next. [1]
