The wait for The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer will be worth it, says Druckmann

By Aaron Mamiit Published September 27, 2020

Naughty Dog has no updates yet for the multiplayer mode of The Last of Us Part 2, but according to the studio’s vice president Neil Druckmann, it will be worth the wait.

In The Last of Us Day, the renamed annual celebration of everything The Last of Us, Naughty Dog revealed a free new dynamic theme for the PlayStation 4, merchandise, and even a new board game. Players, however, were expecting information on The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer, but the event ended without any announcements.

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Druckmann, however, in a tweet expressing gratitude to The Last of Us fans, hinted at The Last of Us Part 2‘s highly anticipated multiplayer mode.

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 (@Neil_Druckmann) September 27, 2020

As players finished the controversial story of The Last of Us Part 2, the wait started for its version of Factions, which is the multiplayer mode of The Last of Us. Since Naughty Dog said about a year ago that The Last of Us Part 2 will not include an online mode upon release, speculation has been rampant on the kind of multiplayer gameplay that will be rolled out for the game.

The Last of Us Part 2 controversy

The Last of Us Part 2 set a new record as the fastest-selling first-party PlayStation 4 exclusive ever when it launched in June, with 4 million copies sold in its first three days. However, the game’s controversial story resulted in review bombing and death threats.

Naughty Dog has since re-introduced the Grounded difficulty setting, as well as added a Permadeath mode, to The Last of Us Part 2, while working with HBO on a TV show adaptation of the first game’s story.

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The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered: No Return tips and tricks for beginners

Tommy in The Last of Us 2 Remastered

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered's campaign mostly just features visual upgrades over the PlayStation 4 original, but its new No Return mode provides players with a roguelike experience within the same world. This tense and challenging experience requires equal parts patience, strategy, and quick reflexes if you want to survive till the very end. In this guide, we'll share some things you'll want to keep in mind while tackling No Return.
Pick the right character for you
No Return features various characters from The Last of Us Part 2, each sporting unique initial loadouts, upgrade paths, and traits that can make a massive difference in your run. Picking one that suits the way you like to approach combat is extremely important, as certain characters will excel at some encounter types more than others.

For instance, Abby gets instant access to the Melee Upgrade Recipe and heals after killing an enemy with a melee attack, whereas Ellie gains extra supplements and gets immediate access to the Molotov Recipe for burning foes alive. Later, you can even unlock Yara, who will always bring along Lev as a sidekick to help you kill enemies in every encounter, though she sacrifices any other particularly unique extras as a result. As you can see, there's a character for every player, and a bit of trial and error should reveal which one works best for you.
Plan out your runs ahead of time

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The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered turns the original game into a cruel punch line

Lev draws a bow in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.

It was a sunny spring day in 2020, amid the social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, when I beat The Last of Us Part 2. As its long credits rolled, I paced around my small apartment living room, unpacking what had transpired. I adored the sequel’s first two acts and its multifaceted discussion of cyclical violence, but I found myself critical of its California-set finale. It seemed to backtrack on all the nuance of Ellie and Abby’s struggle by introducing a definitively evil faction that I wouldn’t feel bad about shooting with a machine gun. It was a discordant note at the end of a symphony, but I was determined to dig below my surface reading and try to understand what Naughty Dog was going for. It had earned that.

That’s when I was hit by the one moment of the game I’ll never forget. As I was deep in reflection, the credits wrapped up, and a final bit of text splashed on the screen. As a reward for finishing the brutal story, I had unlocked New Game+ mode, which would encourage me to replay it again with all my upgraded guns. The benefit of the doubt I’d given Naughty Dog went out the window; did the studio even understand its own game?

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The Last of Us Online’s cancellation is the right move for Naughty Dog

The second piece of The Last of Us multiplayer concept art shows two players walking toward a beached yacht.

After a long period of silence on the project, and numerous reports of a beleaguered and troubled development, Naughty Dog has finally pulled the plug on its The Last of Us online multiplayer project. It was originally planned as an online mode paired with The Last of Us Part II, much like Factions accompanied the first game. But at some point, the scope and direction of the mode was changed and it was decided that it would be a standalone title. Over three years later, with nothing but concept art shown from the game, it has b4een officially scrapped.

While that may come as a disappointment to Naughty Dog fans looking forward to its take on a live-service game set in The Last of Us universe, its cancellation is a necessity for the company. It's a hard decision that will allow the studio to continue doing what it does best rather than giving in to what's trendy.
Cutting losses
Naughty Dog's official statement on why it decided to halt production on this project paints a very clear picture: the studio wanted to put the same amount of time, care, and ambition into every component of The Last of Us Online as it would a single-player title. After evolving into a full live-service effort, upholding that level of quality would have become the studio's sole focus. Seeing the road it was about to embark on, Naughty Dog had to choose between becoming a studio that only made The Last of Us Online, or one that could continue to create single-player experiences that have helped define PlayStation's modern image. It was both a hard decision and an obvious choice.