The Last of Us multiplayer game was 80% complete before cancellation

This article was updated by Andrea Trama on April 9, 2026 to include a teaser for Neil Druckmann's TLoU 3 and new Uncharted rumors. First published April 2.

It is a standalone multiplayer game developed by Naughty Dog. the last of us The universe appeared to be 80% complete when the studio decided to cancel the project in 2023. The Last of Us Online It started with development. the last of us part 2Naughty Dog was aiming to expand the multiplayer mode that appeared in the original 2013 title. clique. Unfortunately, the project was too ambitious for the studio and ultimately fell through after nearly seven years of development.

Naughty Dog is best known for creating some of the PlayStation's most beloved single-player, narrative-based experiences, including: the last of us and unknownIt has also found success over the years with its multiplayer ventures. In addition to doing a lot of work unknown The game includes a very popular online multiplayer mode, but the original the last of us From 2013, it also comes with an online component called Factions. Support for the PlayStation 3 mode ended in 2019 when the game's servers shut down, but you can still play it on PlayStation 4 and 5 via The Last of Us Remastering.

Craig Mazin from The Last of Us game - custom image by Rachael Fiddis

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The Last of Us multiplayer game is “close to completion”

As factions become more popular, the last of us In the community, Naughty Dog decided to build on the mod by creating a standalone multiplayer game set in the same universe. dubbing The Last of Us OnlineThe highly anticipated title was first announced for 2022, with Naughty Dog calling it a “very ambitious undertaking.” The studio even expanded to have the resources needed to build a full-fledged standalone multiplayer game with such massive scope. Unfortunately, the project was canceled in 2023, with the game's director saying it was about 80% done at the time of cancellation.

On March 29, 2026, The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann took to Instagram to share what fans were teasing about The Last of Us Part 3, writing, “It's been a tough journey. Thank you for every part of it. Especially the few stops left on the road ahead,” giving fans a nod to the next chapter. Moreover, a new Uncharted rumor has recently surfaced, suggesting that a new game in the series was in development before Corona and was supposedly canceled during the pandemic.

Commenting on a new episode of the Lance E. Lee podcast (via Push Square), former Naughty Dog employee Vinit Agarwal said: The Last of Us Online “Very nearly finished.” He states that it is 80% complete and that the project lasted “almost seven years” from 2016 until its cancellation in 2023. Agarwal explains that a lot of it came down to funding and the COVID-19 pandemic. “During COVID, the gaming industry saw a huge boost because everyone was home. So in 2020, the gaming industry was flooded with money because people were suddenly playing more games because they were home. What else are they going to do?”

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With online gaming seeing a huge boost in 2020 as most of the world went into lockdown, forcing people to stay at home, Agarwal said this was one of the reasons PlayStation decided to provide funding. The Last of Us Online. “The game was running really well internally,” the former director said. But as people begin to return to work, Naughty Dog is releasing new experimental titles (The Last of Us Online) or Neil Druckmann's next project, which we now know to be a highly anticipated PS5 exclusive. Intergalactic: Heretic Prophet. “It was a devastating moment for me,” Agarwal said. “I spent seven years working on that game. To find out it was canceled 24 hours before it was announced… was just unfortunate.”

when The Last of Us Online Canceled in 2023, Naughty Dog said it felt the experience was unique and had “tremendous potential.” But once overall production ramped up, the studio said its scope and ambitions became clear. As a live service title, Naughty Dog would have needed support. The Last of Us Online This would have meant pouring resources into the title over the next few years and moving away from other single-player projects that “defined Naughty Dog's legacy.”

A year later, Naughty Dog went on to release it. Intergalactic: Heretic Prophet At The Game Awards 2024. The new IP is a science fiction game starring numerous stars. Naughty Dog said the game will be an “emotional, character-driven journey” featuring the studio's “wildest and most creative story yet.” There's currently no release date or timeframe for Naughty Dog's next game, but fans are hoping to see more from the title as it approaches two years since its reveal.