When developer Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II was announced back in 2016, fans assumed that the game would have an online multiplayer component similar to the Factions mode that launched with The Last of Us in 2013. Factions takes place in the world of The Last of Us and follows two rival clans fighting for survival. It was an engrossing multiplayer option that further fleshed out The Last of Us' world-building and lore, adding even more depth to the franchise.However, players eager to return to multiplayer in The Last of Us Part II were met with bittersweet news when developer Naughty Dog announced that the multiplayer mode would not be included, and that instead it would be developed and released as a standalone game. This announcement was almost four years ago, and since then, there has been almost no news about the game's development or its expected release. Just what exactly happened to The Last of Us Part II's multiplayer?RELATED: The Last of Us Proves a Dead Space Series Could Work

The Last of Us Part II's Development Timeline Is Revealing

In 2019, when The Last of Us Part II was still in development, Naughty Dog addressed fans about the state of the game and their plans for multiplayer. The developers posted on Twitter on 'The Last of Us Day' -- a date commemorated by Naughty Dog to celebrate the release of the first game. They explained that their scope and vision for what they wanted to include in the online mode grew to such a level that it was no longer tenable to include it as part of The Last of Us Part II, adding that players would "eventually experience the fruits of [their team's] online ambition." The developers didn't give a timeline, and instead said "when and where [the multiplayer mode] will be realized is still to be determined."

Then, exactly a year later, the developers broke the silence with another post about their much-anticipated multiplayer project. Co-president of Naughty Dog and creator of The Last of Us, Neil Druckmann, took to Twitter to update fans, but gave very little information aside from asking the community to be patient. At this point in development, it seemed like Naughty Dog's vision was at a standstill and that the project might be in trouble.

On the same day in 2021, in an official blog post, Naughty Dog directly addressed fans' concerns about the lack of updates. They explained that development is still ongoing and that they were actively looking to hire talent for the project as they grow their team.

In the post, Naughty Dog said that they "love what the team is developing and want to give them time to build out their ambitious project, [and] we’ll reveal more when it’s ready!". While some information is better than nothing, fans were still left feeling uncertain, as nothing about the game's content or expected release date was included.

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The Last of Us Multiplayer Game Is Ambitious and Large in Scope

Ellie character art from The Last of Us Part II

During Summer Game Fest 2022, Neil Druckmann took the opportunity to update fans again. He explained that the multiplayer The Last of Us game will take place in San Francisco, California, with a variety of new characters. Druckmann said that the multiplayer game would be just as big as Naughty Dog's single-player titles, and ended his statement by saying that players would hear "a lot more about this game next year."

Later that day, Naughty Dog released even more information in another official blog post. The developers explained that the game is truly a massive undertaking, with a very ambitious scope, given that it is a full-scale, fully fleshed-out standalone multiplayer game. This was coupled with the release of the game's first concept art. Although it was encouraging to see artwork of the game for the first time, and players certainly appreciated the update, there was little indication of how far along in development the game was -- and more importantly, when fans could expect a release date.

In January of this year, Naughty Dog provided fans with another update, again through an official blog post from Druckmann. He expressed how excited he and the developers are for the standalone multiplayer game, as well as for the franchise's upcoming 10th anniversary this June. Fans were expecting big news about the multiplayer The Last of Us title on the 10th anniversary, but Druckmann made it clear that the news would be coming "later this year" instead. While still being vague about the game's development, Druckmann did share another piece of concept art in an attempt to tide over the hordes of restless fans.

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Naughty Dog's Multiplayer Project Could Be Stuck in Development Hell

TLOUMP2

If Naughty Dog's update cycle is any indication, the studio should be revealing more news about the game on The Last of Us Day this year: Sep. 27, 2023. However, whether there will be any concrete information about the game's development remains questionable.

When it comes to the development of big projects from AAA studios, it can take time before progress is made public, and often there are unforeseen obstacles in game development. With no release date on the horizon, all fans can do is wait patiently and be cautiously optimistic about Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer release.