Leaked: The Last of Us Online cancelled game snaps

Fans of The Last of Us were surprised to learn about the cancellation of the anticipated The Last of Us Online game by Naughty Dog. A leaked screenshot reveals what the menu of this multiplayer game would have looked like, featuring standard live-service elements like a battle pass, a store section, and a menu category titled 'jobs', possibly hinting at limited-time challenges. However, Naughty Dog has chosen to scrap the project due to its vast scale, stating that continuing with the game's release and support would require mobilizing the whole studio, significantly impacting the development of future single-player titles. The studio is known for its narrative-driven single-player experiences and has announced it is currently working on several "completely new single-player games". Additionally, a remastered version of The Last of Us Part II for the PS5 is slated for release in January.

The development studio decided to cancel The Last of Us Online as they realized that the game's large-scale ambition would necessitate deploying their entire studio's resources for a prolonged period post-release. This would have had a significant impact on the creation of new single-player games, which Naughty Dog is traditionally known for.