The Last of Us: Factions Cancelled; Naughty Dog Focuses on Single Player Games
It's happened. Naughty Dog has cancelledthe network project known as The Last of Us: Factions. The decision was made due to the team's desire to remain a single player game developer.
The Last of Us Factions - online installment of TloU - has been cancelled. Naughty Dog announced this in a a special statement, posted on the studio's official website. At the same time, the company revealed that it is working on "more than one ambitious, brand new single player game."
"We realize many of you have been anticipating news around the project that we’ve been calling The Last of Us Online. There’s no easy way to say this: We’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to stop development on that game."
From the statement, we learn that work on Factions began when development was already underway on The Last of Us Part 2. During the pre-production phase, everything seemed to be moving at the right pace.
"The multiplayer team has been in pre-production with this game since we were working on The Last of Us Part II – crafting an experience we felt was unique and had tremendous potential. As the multiplayer team iterated on their concept for The Last of Us Online during this time, their vision crystalized, the gameplay got more refined and satisfying, and we were enthusiastic about the direction in which we were headed."
However, in the course of development, it became clear that the project had grown to such proportions that devoting ourselves to it 100% would sink Naughty Dog's plans for single player games..
"In ramping up to full production, the massive scope of our ambition became clear. To release and support The Last of Us Online we’d have to put all our studio resources behind supporting post launch content for years to come, severely impacting development on future single-player games. So, we had two paths in front of us: become a solely live service games studio or continue to focus on single-player narrative games that have defined Naughty Dog’s heritage."
The choice the studio made shows the direction it intends to take in the future. At the same time, the work done for Factions will not be in vain. The experience gained and technologies developed will be used in the company's next projects.
"We have more than one ambitious, brand new single player game that we're working on here at Naughty Dog, and we cannot wait to share more about what comes next when we’re ready. Until then, we’re incredibly thankful to our community for your support throughout the years."
