Factions ( The Last Of Us standalone multiplayer )‬

Development

On The Last of Us Day 2019, Naughty Dog revealed that the multiplayer mode originally intended for The Last of Us Part II had grown in scope beyond what was feasible to bundle with the game and that they had made the decision to launch Part II without a multiplayer mode. Naughty Dog went on to say, "you will eventually experience the fruits of our team's online ambition... When and where it will be realized is still to be determined.

The following year, on The Last of Us Day 2020, game director Neil Druckmann made a cryptic tweet that has widely been interpreted to be referring to the multiplayer game

“ Thank you to all the wonderful fans for an incredible #TheLastofUsDay ! Your positivity and love is incredibly inspiring. Oh... and about that other thing... be patient. It’ll be worth it. ❤️ “

( NEIL DRUCKMANN, NAUGHTY DOG CO-PRESIDENT)

On The Last of Us Day 2021, Naughty Dog posted a blog addressed to The Last of Us community, which confirmed that they're continuing to develop the multiplayer expansion for The Last of Us Part II and that Naughty Dog was looking to hire additional staff for the project:

“ In short, we’re working on it - we see the community comments as many of you clamor 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 MP-related positions (hint hint), so if you or somebody you know qualifies for anything you see on our jobs page, apply! ”

( ROCHELLE SNYDER, SR. COMMUNICATIONS AT NAUGHTY DOG )

At Summer Game Fest 2022, Neil Druckmann confirmed that the game would be a standalone title that will be just as big as any of Naughty Dog's single player games. It will feature unique story elements with brand new characters located in San Francisco, California. He shares a picture of concept art featuring two armed survivors on a rooftop; in the background is the Bay Bridge and South of Market, as what appears to be a storm of dust and flying debris blankets the city. On the ground below them are other survivors fighting off infected. Druckmann continued to reveal that Naughty Dog veterans Vinit Agarwal, Anthony Newman, and Joseph Pettinati are helming the project. He ended by saying, "You'll hear a lot more about this game next year." In a blog posted by Naughty Dog the same day, the game is described as having a "massive scope and immense world," while their aim is to make the game "inviting to new players" while still keeping a "thrilling challenge for more of [their] seasoned fans."

In a Twitter comment on The Last of Us Day 2022, Neil Druckmann reiterated that more details would be released in 2023:

“ *LEGAL DISCLAIMER*. Neil made it clear at Summer Game Fast that we will give a big update on the ambitious TLoU Online game in 2023. That’s it. Carry on.”

( NEIL DRUCKMANN, NAUGHTY DOG CO-PRESIDENT)

Druckmann released a second piece of concept art in January 2023 and said more information would be revealed later in the year