New Details Emerge on Canceled The Last of Us Multiplayer Game

New insights into the canceled The Last of Us live-service multiplayer title have surfaced, courtesy of Vinit Agarwal—a former Naughty Dog developer who served as game director for the project.

Development Progress and Internal Reception

Speaking with podcaster Lance E. Lee (via Kotaku), Agarwal revealed that the game was approximately 80% complete and “very, very close to done.” He confirmed that Sony greenlit the project following a significant surge in online gaming activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agarwal emphasized that the title “made a lot of progress, and the game was doing really, really well internally.” In January 2023, studio head and The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann publicly described it as Naughty Dog’s “most ambitious project.”

Cancellation Rationale and Impact

However, as pandemic-related restrictions eased and teams transitioned back to in-office work, resources were gradually redirected away from the multiplayer effort. Ultimately, Naughty Dog faced a strategic decision: continue development on the live-service title or prioritize “the next game that Neil Druckmann was directing.”

The multiplayer project was officially canceled in December 2023. In its announcement, the studio stated that ongoing post-launch support would have “severely impacted development on future single-player games.”

Personal Reflections and Career Transition

Agarwal described the cancellation as “a devastating moment”—noting he had dedicated seven years to the project and found the news emotionally crushing. He learned of the cancellation just 24 hours before Naughty Dog’s public announcement.

He departed Naughty Dog in January 2025 and relocated to Japan to establish his own independent studio.

Naughty Dog’s Current and Future Projects

Naughty Dog currently has Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet—a Druckmann-led title—scheduled for PlayStation 5. Separately, some observers speculate that Druckmann may have subtly teased a new Last of Us installment in a recent Instagram post, though no official confirmation has been made.