The Last of Us Online Was Nearly Complete When It Was Cancelled

Key Takeaways

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Naughty Dog canceled The Last of Us Online due to the requirements for sustaining an online game being more than what the studio could handle, aligning with Neil Druckmanns statements about prioritizing his new project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
The cancellation of The Last of Us Online was influenced by several factors, including increased budget due to Sonys focus on online initiatives, decreased online gaming time and reduced investment in gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the game being approximately 80% complete when it was canceled.
Vinit Agarwal, director of The Last of Us Online, left Naughty Dog after the cancellation and founded his own game development studio based in Japan.
Matthew Gallant, another member of Naughty Dogs team, was also involved in a previously cancelled project, Factions Mode (The Last of Us Part II Multiplayer).

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Naughty Dog’s decision to cancel The Last of Us Online, a standalone multiplayer game set in The Last of Us universe, was met with confusion among some PlayStation fans and may have fueled negative sentiment toward other online games like Concord and Marathon. Vinit Agarwal, director of The Last of Us Online, revealed in an interview with Lance E. Lee that the decision to cancel the project came from Naughty Dog itself after the studio assessed what was required to sustain an online game. Ultimately, the studio chose to cancel The Last of Us Online, a decision that aligned with statements Neil Druckmann made at the time. According to Agarwal, Naughty Dog was forced to choose between completing The Last of Us Online and prioritizing Neil Druckmann’s new project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

Cancellation of Last of Us Online Amidst Financial Shifts and Pandemic Impact

Several factors contributed to the cancellation. Agarwal worked on The Last of Us Online, overseeing the multiplayer aspects, from 2016 until its cancellation in 2023. Although Sony’s increased investment in online initiatives significantly increased the project’s budget, the game was already in production. It didn’t originate from this new focus on service games. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic led to decreased online gaming time and reduced investment in gaming. Agarwal also noted that The Last of Us Online was approximately 80% complete when it was canceled. He learned of the cancellation just 24 hours before Sony’s public announcement. Matthew Gallant, another member of Naughty Dog’s team, was involved in the earlier Factions Mode project (also known as The Last of Us Part II Multiplayer) before departing from the company; that project was also canceled. Following the cancellation of The Last of Us Online, Agarwal left Naughty Dog and founded his own game development studio based in Japan. His remarks clarify the circumstances surrounding the project’s cancellation.

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