The Last of Us 2 Multiplayer Isn't Dead, It's Evolved Into Something Too Big for the Game

So are we still happy that Naughty Dog dumped multiplayer so it could "focus" on its single player story? Because it sounds to me like it's been working on both this whole time, and both sound massive.

We really need to stop assuming that multiplayer always takes attention away from other things. These are huge studios that know what they're doing.

Sounds good to me, they know factions is loved by many and wanted to give the fans the respect it deserves, rather than just a tacked on multiplayer with the singleplayer.

Also a tweet from a Lead Game Designer (SP/MP), Vinit Agarwal.

"An update on multiplayer. Don't worry, we haven't forgotten. We're still hiring for our online team - something is happening😉Hold tight and enjoy TLOU Part II!"

I have no problem if the game ships with or without a multiplayer.

I mean, since the game requires two discs, I don't blame Naughty Dog for thinking about releasing the multiplayer as a potential standalone release, especially with how huge they're going to make it.

Well this seems like the best way to go about it. Good ol Naughty Dog, always looking out for its fans.

This is exactly what I thought had happened. Bring it on.

@ShogunRok yes but that's cool if they plan to add multiplayer mode as Future DLC one day.. i am not into multiplayer online very much on games that has it

@LemonHaze you made big mistake for cancelled pre-order but why don't you want know what happen to Ellie, Joel, Dina and Mystery Woman in amazing cinematic story huh ???? that odd for you to play Multiplayer mode first and ignore important story about Ellie, Joel, Dina and Mystery woman

When the PS5 comes out, LOU2 will be "remastered" into a deluxe edition with Factions is basically what this means

@Gelloh i don't think they will do remastered version for PS5 on this game because you able to play this on PS5 Backward Compatible

Slightly off topic, but been having these sorta discussions recently with retro & even an indie adventure game dev.
Its sad we've had a whole gaming generation grow up accustomed to loot boxes, "cosmetic" mtx, pay-to-win, beat-em-ups & racing games where you need to buy roster dlc etc. all as "normal"....the concept of buying a completed self-contained game (&/or unlocking stuff via replay or side quests etc.),in the AAA gaming space is considered weird or short changing us!
I fear the advent of Gamepass, Apple Arcade etc., where they pay via no.of hrs played could pressure indies down the same path.
On-topic, Sony already have said they're keen to explore online/live service stuff going into next gen, so I'm certain something involving naughty dog & TLOU universe would be right up their alley as a cross-gen idea!
My only worry on TLOU pt 2 is shuffling around internal & external storage space!

They Should Turn The Mutiplayer into its Own Game

The last of us, game as service edition! Coming soon with added micro transactions.

Splitting SP and MP into separate games is a good idea and a nice way for them to make more money in the process...

A horde mode for the last of us 2 would be genius!! Some bloaters as bosses etc, PvE as well as PvP please.

I just don't like the fact that many single player games force me to download trucks of GB in updates about a multiplayer section I always ignore.
Just keep them separated and I'm fine.

Never had a problem with the original announcement of no mp. I love all their focus being on the sp.

Good, a lot of selfish gamers going around saying “ multiplayer wasn’t needed anyway” . Shut up! What’s wrong with options

@LemonHaze

@andreoni79 Found this quite the turn off myself in recent times! GTA V & then RDR 2 (the latter of which I demoted to my pile of shame after finding its controls/grindy gameplay far inferior to the original RDR),very guilty of this,esp. when the chances of single player content by rockstar anymore is remote!

All about the $$$$ makes more money if your selling a product seperatly that should be part of the game.

I would be so bummed I am still playing multiplayer to this day phycing on the second thank god theres hope

Hopefully they’ll put it on PlayStation plus.

I've never got the "last of us" fever because, maybe, when I finally tried the game, was already the remastered. I think it's a good game, with a very good story. But that's it. So I'm just curious to try it when the prices drop, unless there's coop.. And if by multiplayer, they're talking about coop, well, that's a game changing..

On a side note: What's funny to me is to see so many people almost offended because someone said that they would cancel the pre-order or others because the multiplayer was postponed.. People, chill out. Relax.

Love me some factions. I don't mind if it's a seperate release, as long as they don't try that pay to win crap they pulled on the first one. You can still get good matches on it, but 9 times out of 10, that 4 man team with the 4 shottys out on patrol is going to do more than me with my 9mm revolver.

I smell free-to--play game-as-service...

People moaned that multiplayer wasn't included. Now people are moaning that it's a money grab, and making the assumption that it'll be terrible.

How did we become so entitled? Can we not be happy about anything?

This is how Rockstar should have done it with GTA and RD Online, separate them from the main game so that each can be individually updated and save space.

I'm not a fan of multiplayer in any capacity, and though I used to be ignorant and thought that having a multiplayer took away from single player, I'm no longer so foolish. I think this is a great way of making both aspects as strong as each other.

Im not sure i get all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over the lack of Factions. Sure it was good fun but it was always an add on not the main game, most people didnt even realize it had MP in the original game until it started to take on a cult following. This game is about the single player experience, its The Last of Us not COD, if you want to run around and get killed every 30 seconds try that instead...

We all loved the original mostly for its Single Player experience so i'm not mad about this.

Falls in line with Sony's vision of Blockbuster AAA Single Player games that sell like hotcakes.

Spider-Man
God of War
Days Gone
Horizon Zero Dawn

@ShogunRok
It sounds like theres going to be a multiplayer only project. So yes, that project takes attention away from a single player project they could be working on instead. Not saying it's bad or good. Both have their fans. It's what it is though.

I personally would rather they focused on single player games.

Its evolved and we saw how Apex & Fortnite added MP so we want to copy and now Factions will be a new Battle Royale version. Of course it will be free because we know how disappointed you are and has nothing to do with the add Micro-transactional money we are hoping to make on cosmetics...

@Playstation5
I think Dina is not dead, even if Ellie thinks she is, but gets pregnant. No idea about the mystery woman haha

@Boxmonkey
I think that's what Shawn Layden aluded to when he mentioned multiplayer projects.

Hmm, a TLoU Battle Royale game doesn't sound bad at all...

It works for Rockstar.

Someone beat me to it but will be a pay2win The Last Of Us BattleRoyale with lootboxs and microtransactions about 3-6 months now after all the review scores are in

Can't help but think next gen launching probably 8 months after this releases isn't connected.

If they waited for the MP component to be done the PS4 game would release alongside next gen, and that's bad timing.

As it is I wouldn't be surprised if Sony has a launch announcement event a week or so after this launches, b/c we all know once that event happens we all start talking about next gen, and this gens games lose a bit of our - and the medias - attention.

Hard to sell all of those $200 collectors editions while people are saving up money for their next $500 console.

@JJ2 Mystery Woman may be Anna for sure.. Naughty Dog tease her about has 4 blocks letters who playing as Laura Bailey's role

@JJ2 This is an assumption that holds no weight any more though. Like I said, these studios are huge — do you think Naughty Dog is actively taking employees away from its single player team to make multiplayer content? It doesn't work like that, there are dedicated teams made up of specifically hired people — hence why Naughty Dog was hiring online specialists not too long ago.

The bottom line is we've come a long way since the PS3 days, when it seemed every game had to have a "tacked on" multiplayer mode.

Yeah , it’s evolved into an addition to the PS5 version of TLoU2 because it was way to ambitious for the PS4 and it’s definitely not a reason to buy the PS5 version after you have already purchased the PS4 version.

@ShogunRok
Fair enough. There's a team specialised in mp obviously. I'm just trying to be factual. Not judging. Like if Bend had / hired a team for a mp project. 🙋

@nookie_egg What are you talking about? There wasn't ever any pay to win in the first one. And if you're suggesting you had to take on people using shotguns, with only a pistol, that just implies you just couldn't work out how to switch from your secondary weapon. I'd say all the weaponry was fairly balanced. And one person I used to play with would take out, more often than not, 3 times as many people as everyone else and she pretty much only ever used shivs.

@Playstation5 Anyone who claims to have canceled their pre order was never a fan or buying it anyway. Ironically the MP of TLoU has a very low trophy percentage, which means not many people played it or didn't play it much. The highest percentage of an MP trophy was just 12% so clearly hardly no one played the MP. Factions will come, but some people just like to cry about everything though there was no crying when GTA and RDR2 added MP later.

@LemonHaze lol

@Eldritch that's fine but when was the last time you played it? They added a shotgun that kills you in two hits, that you had to buy from the store (with actual money), that was really OP and 90% of players now seem to use it and the team with the most players with said shotgun NORMALLY wins. Ergo.....? And yeah I managed the complexity of pressing left or right, my revolver is my go to and my hunting rifle my secondary, I also play as team healer and crafter/gifter who heals when I melee you so yeah I know how to play it.

Honestly as a fan of the mp its even better news than if it was simply included in tlou2. The fact it may end up as a full fledged standalone (fingers crossed) has me extremely excited! Im so curious of the outcome!

@LemonHaze

Single player comes first for a quality game

@nookie_egg I know they brought in the shotgun, along with the new rifle, etc. And I still think the weapons were well balanced. I'm not a shotgun person, never have been, never will be. But shotgun users tend to have one thing in common... they're not exactly know for their stealth. So you used that to your advantage. As for the last time I played it, that was a fair while back but only because I pretty much played it to death. From one week after it released till remastered came out, I played it nearly every evening. Then switched to the remastered version for around a year. But funnily enough been asked to play it again this morning due to all this news... that could be messy.

@Eldritch YMMV I guess. Just what I've found and I know a lot of people have said the same. Maybe I'll see you on there one day as it's the only mp I play.

@nookie_egg I'll be easy to spot. I'll be the one trying to remember the controls and crouching when I should be running and vice-versa.

a surprise the whiners ruined who I guarantee the majority of the upset will probably never even play it.

Every game doesn't need multiplayer.

@malbhet Just stay away from the multiplayer if you feel that way.

I seldom dip into multiplayer games but factions was an exception to me. Spent hours on it, gutted when ps3 servers shut down. Delighted with TLOU being ps plus game, gutted to hear no factions on TLOU2, delighted to read the above news. Been a bit of a roller-coaster recently for my invested emotions in this upcoming game...