Despite the massive success of HBO’s “The Last of Us,” and the original games by developer Naughty Dog, continuing that success isn’t as easy as it seems. Sony Group has quietly placed their multiplayer “The Last of Us” game on the backburner. There are apparently a number of problems that are going to require a closer look, according to four people close to the project.
Apparently, the multiplayer game has been in the works for sometime. It was intended as an extension of “The Last of Us: Part II.” But the ambition for the project expanded beyond the scope of just a DLC add-on. Unfortunately, that’s come with its own stumbling blocks. But now Naughty Dog says “we’ve realized what’s best for the game is to give it more time.”
While there’s excitement over the multiplayer game from fans, the staying power is what concerns Sony most. Part of the issue lies with Sony, however. Their business model for video games is “games as a service”. Basically making games with the express purpose of making money past initial purchase with micro transactions, DLC, and the like. The worry is “The Last of Us” multiplayer game wouldn’t stand up to this business model is what has Sony benching the project for the moment.
To be fair, Naughty Dog has managed better success with single-player, linear games rather than multiplayer titles. And while they’ve included some multiplayer dlc for their games, like the multiplayer mode in “Uncharted 4“, they seem to be running into trouble trying to make a stand alone title.
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