Last Of Us Online Was ‘80 Percent’ Done When It Was Canceled Naughty Dog’s decision to cancel its planned Last of Us multiplayer game, The Last of Us Online, came after years of development and a pivotal moment in the studio’s resource allocation strategy. The project, which had reached approximately 80 percent completion, was abruptly halted in favor of focusing on single-player narrative games, including the upcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet for the PS5. Vinit Agarwal, the project’s director who left Naughty Dog to found a new studio in Japan, shared insights into the cancellation during an interview with Lance E. Lee. He described the game as being in the late stages of development when the studio decided to pivot its priorities. Agarwal highlighted Sony’s broader shift toward live-service games, a strategy that began around 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, online gaming became a critical way for people to stay connected while quarantined. However, as restrictions eased, interest in live-service titles declined, leading Sony to reassess its investments. Agarwal noted that this shift, combined with Naughty Dog’s internal resource considerations, ultimately led to the cancellation of The Last of Us Online. The decision, he explained, was framed as a choice between completing the multiplayer game or advancing Neil Druckmann’s vision for the studio’s next major single-player project. The cancellation was a significant blow to Agarwal, who spent seven years working on the game. He revealed that he learned of the decision just 24 hours before the public announcement, describing the moment as “soul-crushing.” The abrupt nature of the cancellation, he said, was partly due to the need to control the messaging around the studio’s strategic direction.#sony #vinit_agarwal #naughty_dog #intergalactic_the_heretic_prophet #last_of_us_online
