If you were looking forward to finally playing some The Last of Us 2 multiplayer, Sony has come to disappoint you once again. Just as a team of developers were getting ready to launch its multiplayer mod for The Last of Us: Part II, Sony reportedly issued them a warning meaning it will no longer see the light of day.
The mod – created by Speclizer – had been shaping up rather nicely over the months. Following shared footage of online co-op, the team then put its efforts behind a Factions-style player-versus-player mode which TLOU fans have been pining for since Naughty Dog launched its sequel more than half a decade ago.
Before you get too excited, Sony’s rush to ban the multiplayer mod isn’t evidence that Naughty Dog – or another PlayStation studio, for that matter – is cooking up its own Factions 2.0. It’s very likely that Sony came after Speclizer due to them running a Patreon and effectively monetising the mod. Here’s the full statement from Speclizer:
“Hey everyone, as you all know, the TLOU 2 Multiplayer mod that has been in development since January was supposed to release this month. Unfortunately I recently received a letter on behalf of Sony Interactive Entertainment requesting for the mod not to be released. Extremely sad that this never got to see the light of day but I hope you’ll continue to follow me onto the next project, this time something of my own. Thank you all for the incredible amount of support over the last year. I hope to bring you something bigger and better soon!”
This is yet another blow for those TLOU fans who have been anticipating a follow-up to the original Factions multiplayer mode introduced in The Last of Us. Back in the early 2010s, it seemed like nearly every shooter or action game had to have its own online multiplayer though Factions was more than a simple, smashed together add-on. Its firefights were tense and tactical, bolstered by a thin layer of resourcing gathering/crafting that felt organic.
In the lead up to The Last of Us: Part II launching in June 2020, Naughty Dog had teased that Factions 2.0 was on the way though it was ultimately cancelled. Studio head, Neil Druckmann, was pretty candid in saying that the project was draining resources from what the studio does best: delivering top-tier, story-driven singleplayer experiences.
That cancellation was just the tip of the iceberg for Sony and its failed live service pivot which has seen numerous projects and studios jettisoned (most notably, Concord and Firewalk) not to mention hundreds of millions of dollars. Factions 2.0 seemed like such an open goal that we’re surprised Sony didn’t kick the project over to one of its other development teams.
For fans, there’s still a tiny glimmer of hope. Neil Druckmann – who announced that he’s stepping away from the HBO television show – said in a recent interview that “we’re not done with The Last Of Us. There’s a couple projects in the works that, when the time is right, I’m very excited to talk about.”
