
Naughty Dog has cancelled its ambitious PS5-bound online multiplayer adaptation of The Last of Us, implying it had to choose between dedicating itself to the live service title or continuing to make single player games. Ultimately, it opted for the latter, and claims it now has multiple new projects in the works. (In addition to next year’s The Last of Us: Part 2 Remastered, of course.)
Despite the cancellation, it seems the studio is still pretty proud of what it achieved with the multiplayer game. For example, technical designer Nathaniel Ferguson described it as the “highlight” of his career thus far. “[The Last of Us Online] will always be a very special project for me,” he wrote on Twitter. “So it goes. A sad day, but very bright horizons ahead for sure.”
Game designer Karl Morley, meanwhile, said he had “more fun playing this game than any other [multiplayer title] before and since”. And dialogue director Kat McNally added: “It’s never easy to have a game cancelled, but I’m so proud of my studio and everything we accomplished on this project. Big shout out to my combat QA and dialogue teams.”
Such positivity around the project begs the question: why did it get cancelled in the first place? Well, from the outside looking in, it seems like Naughty Dog simply overextended itself. The game sounded far too ambitious for its own good, and was probably going to take all of the studio’s resources to support. In that sense, as disappointing as it is, we can understand why it decided to pull the plug.
[source twitter.com, via twitter.com, twitter.com, gamesradar.com]
Comments 82
I was really looking forward to this
it didnt have to be live service, the original factions isn't live service and that's still played today almost a decade later
wouldn't it be better to release it as just a multiplayer game rather than live service than not release it at all?
Just release it? Seems a shame that all the effort and resources go to waste.
I personally would have loved to have seen what Naughty Dog had done with the project via a Beta of sorts. It would have been great to have been able to make up my own mind on it for sure, but I do think what they have learned should carry forward into their new projects. Who’s to say that some sort of Factions will appear in the inevitable LoU3. All it needs to be is slightly better than Factions from the first game and it will me a winner. I definitely would like to know how much influence Bungie had in getting this cancelled also. I live by the idea that Bungie likely saw their entire cash cow about to disappear should this have been launched. Plenty can be said about Naughty Dog and their continued focus on just making Last of Us games, but noone can say that they don’t make games with very enjoyable gameplay. Outside some crazy decisions on the story side for the 2nd game, I personally find their gameplay to be very enjoyable for the Last of Us titles!
These people worked on the project, they have an unnatural favortism towards it and really should not be taken at face value. In a few years they may very well feel very differently about it. I know I have about one of the projects I worked on for Ubisoft. Seemed like it was going some where, ultimately it was a trash project and had no future. I feel differently about it years later. More than a handful of projects like that out there, even at ubisoft. I won't mention the title in question or if it ever made it past the finish line to release. So don't ask. It was just part of a popular franchise they do not technically own.
That being said, these three are too close to the project. Game Designers always think their project is the best thing ever as they steadily fly closer to the sun. Even if they don't believe it themselves. If you ever find an honest one, stick with them, because then you'll know your projects getting some real traction or needs to course correct. I've seen too many projects burn themselves alive trying to chase down something that didn't work because the designer didn't want to be "negative" about the prospects of the project. Which leads to another issue in west coast game development in the US, with everyone trying to be nice, what needs to be said, doesn't get said, mostly out of fear of being labeled as negative.
Dialog Director, basically falling from the same mold, just simply wanted to keep it positive for reputations sake. Don't even get me started on the technical designer.
Point being this game was likely doing very badly, they couldn't see it, and their team suffered for it.
Hopefully their negative personalities built on false ideals of positivity will not corrupt future projects or they leave for percieved greener pastures.
Everything I've heard from staff outside these 3 is that it was a fairly middling experience trying to make more out of the first games MP than it had any right to be. Wasn't a bad game/mode, but the changes just could fix the core issues with what they were working with. hey that's what i heard anyway.
Personally as middling experiences go, not all are bad. I still hope for a day that sony spins up a second and third ND studio and has one of them work on an Uncharted Multiplayer only game. Uncharted 2 and 3 were great mp modes, I was really hoping they'd build on that for the 4th. Then some idiot came a long and injected those new systems, added a grappling hook, then took grenade toss backs away. Map designs were so much better too.
@Bionic-Spencer The Factions for TLoU2 and what was becoming its own standalone mode will not see life in TLoU3. I also wouldn't bet on a TLoU3 at this point. TLoU2 really did not gel well with people, part of the reason we're seeing this remake is to test the waters to see if the initial wave of detractors were right. The game isn't don't as well as TLoU1.
Back on my actual point here. If there is a TLoU3 it won't get this game given the size and scope of what they were producing. It would have taken them away from what they were good at and likely killed the prospect of a TLoU3. It's been almost 4 years since the last ND game. We don't even have an announcement for the next game. Uncharted 4 came out 4 years prior to TLoU2, if you count The Lost Legacy, 3 years. Before TLoU, they were banging out a new game every 2 to 3 years.
They've wasted enough time on this. That being said, we do need more of the kind of MP experiences we use to have on PS3. Including the stuff we got in TLoU1.
I actually believe them as I was addicted to the original Factions and I don't even play multiplayer games that much. I imagine this was more of that but better! Unfortunately the live service gold rush nonsense ruined it for us, thanks Bungie and Jim 👍
I really like naughty dog's uncharted series and the crash bandicoot games as well. However I could not stand the multiplayer parts of uncharted at all and they pretty much ruined my earlier trophy hunting escapades as those online trophys were out of my grasp as I could not play something I was not enjoying just for that 100% completion. This game would have been awesome for those that enjoy the last of us and it's a shame it's been cancelled.
Not a fan of online games and had mostly just a curious interest in this but this is complete BS.
And I don't buy that this is a result of ND taking on too much, especially not when you consider Bungie's involvement. It's probably more like, game wasn't live service enough and it was gonna take too much to make it so (to make the changes Bungie wanted).
In any case, it's an absolute embarrassment that a flagship studio leads fans on for years just to cancel. This isn't some Kickstarter project. No excuse for this imo.
Whole thing seems like a ridiculous waste and honestly a bit embarrassing for Sony. How many devs does it really take to work on a game like this after release? Surely a studio with the pedigree of naughty dog could’ve brought in some support studio to continue supporting it with post launch content to allow them to jump back into single player games. Firesprite brought in Fabrik Games shortly after themselves being acquired by Sony.
It’s crazy to think ND were once Sony’s best studio. And now they’re reduced to remaking/remastering their own games and wasting years on failed live-service games. Sad to see.
Wow, this feels really frustrating knowing how great it was to the hearts and soul of Naughty Dog. Nobody in management is taking their time to address their leadership failures and bad decisions in regards to this.
If that is because, they will fold it into TLOU 2 and scale the 'live service' down, the average SONY patron will be happy. And that is, to me, the best decision. Make Factions 2 real, please.
@EfYI fan of ND but there's no question this is a leadership blunder. Whether that's at ND or SIE is up for debate but clearly someone f'd this up. And when you think about how you can get fired from a normal job for so much less it'll be frustrating but not surprising to see absolutely nothing change.
Well, I guess Jim Ryan's already on the way out and that's probably the closest anyone will get to accountability.
A lot of theories out there about this failed project and it will be fascinating to hear the full story one day.
A couple ideas from Uncharted 4 ended up on the cutting room floor and eventually made it into TLoU2. I highly suspect that not all the work done over the last couple years will end up flushed. We’ll see some of the embryonic DNA of this project in TLoU3 and possibly in the other new single player games coming.
Still no idea why the want for online games is. My last of us one disc I install it play it yes very happy . Online ah server issue can't play ok. Ah kicked off connection crashed then one day oh yeah over watch one I Wana play it nope the server is shut down mean while my original game disc works any time I want. This mass movement to online nope il be leaving gaming soon as it's all digital I've years of games in my library.
I’m glad they aren’t devoting all their future time to this, but it strikes me as bad management from Sony. Surely if the game is that advanced, and good quality, it could be handed over to someone else within the Sony portfolio to manage after release? If they were brought in now to work alongside ND so they had a good idea of how the game is put together it’s doable, surely?
A real shame and such a waste of time and money, can't help but blame Sony/Jimbo and Bungie for this though.
There's always going to be bias from folks working on it and fun doesn't always equal multiplayer success (look at halo infinite). It feels like these types of games almost need an early access model to find where they are in the market.
It's pretty goddamn obvious that TLOU2's perfect gameplay would be fantastic attached to a fresh multiplayer implementation as opposed to Druckmann's dull and monotonous narrative for Part II.
I'm bitter about the mix of politics and incompetence that deep-sixed this game. And I don't buy the official explanation at all.
Bet they gonna pivot some portion of it to Part III
Thanks Bungo. If its true that Bungie killed it after their report on it then it sucks for ND. Its not like Bungie have been killing it with Destiny. Destiny has been on a downward spiral for a long time now.
@VaultGuy415 100%. For me it was the lying that they did in the run up to release. Creating fake trailers and editing Joel into scenes he wasn't in. Plus the whole narrative of ending the cycle of violence was beyond dumb. They'd both killed hundreds of people in their quests for revenge. What's to stop anyone of the "victims" loved ones showing up with a gold club?! They going to tell them you're too late we've ended the cycle of violence?!
I am obviously gutted this isn't going to see the light of day but completely get why they cancelled and actually glad they did in a way, it would have been worse for the TLOU if they couldn't commit the resources, just goes to show ND only want the best and releasing TLOU online could have eventually become a poor title or mean future games were not as good as they could have been, either way affecting a titles quality and ND good name
Maybe they shouldn't have cancelled at all but instead just freeze it until Sony could get/build a studio to take over to support it after ND had finished their job. Shame they didn't just make it a normal multiplayer game
@R1spam lol, halo infinite is one of the weaker halo games like all of 343's games. thats why it isnt a success. none of their halo multiplayers were.
on topic though i wish ps5 had more multiplayers , its bloated with single player to the brim, i remember when games released with a single player and multiplayer component. i blame live service for ruining multiplayer.
"We made the best online game of all time, but you'll never get to play it!"
Well ok. Glad to know that.
Good decision in my view. Choice between ND single player games or most of time spent maintaining a live service, it’s a no brainier. So good to see Sony and ND realising what contributes to PS success is Sony’s commitment to single player experiences.
A sad game for gameing in my opinion. It was the one Multiplayer game I was looking forward to. So sad to see it Canclled.
This is the best timeline. Last of us part 3 and a totally new IP instead of just last of online for the next 10 years
@bighal yea imagine if PS success didnt have COD, madden, fortnite, 2k, apex legends, GTA online, or minecraft.
That success youre talking about would be a pipe dream, and those interactive movies wouldnt have the funds to exist. this aint the ps2 era anymore, sonys "success" today is off the legacy it had and ended with ps4.
@thefourfoldroot1 It's bad management from Naughty Dog.
How on earth are you developing a game for 4 years and only after all that time you realised how many devs would be needed to sustain this live service?
Jesus. There are plenty of successful live service games like Apex, Fortnite etc. that should give you a clear picture what resources are needed for managing that type of game.
They now basically wasted 4 years of dev time on huge part of studio that could be used to make 2 AAA games during PS5 generation instead of one. Because there is just no way ND will be able to make more then one AAA game until end of generation.
I don't know anything about games development but I'd love to know why they couldn't just make and release the base game, then pass it onto another team to continue development.
Or build a team specifically to allow ND to move on. If the game was successful enough, it would've been worth it.
Isn't that what Respawn did? Built a completely separate Apex Legends team so they could still make other games like Star Wars Survivor and keep supporting Apex at the same time too.
It just seems like a waste to throw away all the hard work ND must have put into The Last of Us online over the last 3+ years or so.
@ItsBritneyB_tch Once? TLOU:P2 came out 3 1/2 years ago.
Most AAA games come take 5-6 years to come out. Your comment reads like they haven’t put out a new game in a decade & just been remastering/remaking.
I love Insomniac & they’re output is insane, but they’re really still just a step behind ND (or a half step). Spider-Man 2 just about cracked 90mc & their first game to ever do that.
@NotSoCryptic Could you put in a good word for Fenyx Rising and try to get the sequel resurrected? That would be great, cheers.
ND has been living off TLO for ages now. Its time for a new IP im tired of this series. 3 remastered TLO games and now TLO2 remastered. Its time to stop milking this game and series.
Yeah, I really do doubt that. The GaaS/Live Service model basically negates any fun to be had by trying to get you to open your wallet some more.
These types of games can just die already.
Sorry I just don't buy this. Simple fact if the game was THAT good it would be released in some form, even if it was part of TLOU2 remastered, or a discrete release with no ongoing/MTX. Something doesn't add up.
@Godot25 That reasoning NEVER added up. It sounded like a bad excuse as soon as they said it. EVERYONE knows how much work is involved in making an ongoing live service. Look at Bungie over 1,000 employees for one game (with another on the way) Genshin Impact is the same, 343 industries had 750 employees in 2020 for Halo etc. etc.
Absolutely doesn't add up that they are only thinking about it now. Even if the game grew in scope, which is possible, it still doesn't make sense. Personally I think they are just telling us what we want to hear while trying not to throw anyone, or the project, under the bus. i.e. "We had a choice between single player and multiplayer and we choose single player" (I paraphrase but you get the gist)
No issue with this. Naughty Dog makes elite single player content, and many of us want more of that.
Devs working on a game say that game is great.
@starbuck2212 Of course it's not true Bungie cancelled the game, that story never made any sense, they wouldn't have that much power.
Did they come in have a look and point out some obvious flaws that the production team couldn't see, and that along with stuttering progress, spiralling budgets, and more was just another small factor that helped make the decision to can it? Far more likely.
@themightyant Yeah. I tend to agree. I'm taking it as an official "excuse" and if it is true, that it's absolutely on Naugty Dog's management.
But my theory is just that they tried to do TLOU Online in "Naughty Dog way" and Bungie just told them that nobody will play it long term and live service without longevity is useless. So they have the option to adapt mechanics which would keep engagement or ditch the project entirely and they chose latter.
In my opinion, Naughty Dog strengths as developer are just incompatible with live service games. They care about carefully constructed narratives, animation and technical perfection, but they are not strong in gameplay mechanics and being able to churn new content fast enough. No live service players cares about lengthy cutscenes, obsessive animation quality and technical perfection. They care about engaging gameplay and new content
@NotSoCryptic I understand what you are saying but you claim to know a company culture when in fact you don't you know a country culture.
If I put that on my country culture (I'm Dutch and we are brutally direct and honest) I don't always see that within company culture, sometimes even the opposite and I was a process manager (ITIL) in more than 20 large and medium sized companies.
Only fact I can come up with, and it's a positive on, is that we always learn from our mistakes. We take what is good and build on what went wrong and in the end we all are better for that. That is exactly what some of these people said.
Why can't they pass on the rest of the work to another company to finish the work, otherwise they wasted their time on something that no one will get to play.
@HonestTruth I think it's been reported since several years ago that they are in fact working on a new IP. The most common rumour seems to be about a sci-fi project, but I guess we'll find out eventually.
I'm not entirely sure I agree with your point though. There's nothing wrong with a studio focusing on a single franchise, like Santa Monica for example.
Obviously just doing remasters/remakes isn't good enough, but at the end of the day it's "only" been 3.5 years since ND's last original release. If they release another game in, let's say 1.5 years, that would not really be an outlier compared to many other AAA studios.
The strategy behind live service games is more akin to selling drugs - they need to be something users feel compelled to spend time and money on a daily basis. They are specifically looking to hook the big addicts who go out of their way to buy everything - aka Whales.
So it doesn't matter if its a good, or a great game even. If Factions 2 was an amazing game that players would love, but also would leave after say, a few weeks or months, then its a failure because it can't keep on selling MTX for years to come.
Everything we've heard so far seems to collaborate this. Sony had 12 of these games in production, they've cut half of those and I think they will do the same again and cut it to 3 which will be released, and maybe if one of those find great success it will be worth it for them. That's how big a Fortnite/Apex/Valorant is these days.
@Ainu20 Thing is with them they dont remaster the same game they come out with a new GOW. ND just remasters the same thing over and over and over. No way should a remaster of TLO 1 and 2 exist on ps5, especially since both were on ps4. Ppl say rockstar is milking gta yet ND and sony doing the same thing. Its time to move on from this series and make a new game. ND has been living off this series for a while now idc what anyone says.
@HonestTruth I believe I addressed that in my post, aside from the remasters, as long as they release a new game in the not too distant future, that would not really be problematic.
They've more than likely not "just" been doing the same thing over and over, they would've been working on one or more new projects at the same time. If you'd argue that the time is approaching to reveal one of those projects, I would agree.
I don’t buy for second they couldn’t have finished this game. Supposedly a different team was working on this,and they were already developing those single player games alongside this.
I have no love for GAAS overall but ND is still my favourite Dev hands down.
I'd rather see new IP's but I must admit, I enjoyed every Uncharted game multiple times.
TLOU part2 has MP written all over it when going through the SP. There must be enough MP (Factions) left to give gamers a go on what could've been for a limited time? Maybe they are too much of perfectionists to pass it along?
Every parent thinks their child is the smartest.
good, online multiplayer automatically excludes gamers with the highest purchasing power anyway (those who work and dont have time for it)
@pirlega except that’s not true at all considering online multiplayer games generate the most income overall, and you can easily dip in and out playing a couple of matches.
If you can’t do that how do you have time to actually beat any single player games unless you aren’t finishing them or only playing short games? It would take you ages to beat a game like Baldurs gate or Zelda.
Big difference, in my opinion, to a bolted-on MP mode designed to add more 'value' and/or long term Player engagement beyond the Single Player, and a Multi-player ONLY game.
LoU & Uncharted both followed the 'trend' of bolting on a MP mode onto a Single Player game - just like Dead Space 2, Bioshock 2, AC2 Brotherhood and numerous 'other' games. Even CoD or Halo were known primarily for their Campaign with a 'good' MP suite. Point is, you bought these for the Campaigns, then stayed because you enjoyed the MP.
Now, it seems that MP is the 'focus' because that's where they can make the 'most' money with Season/Battle passes, MTX, Loot boxes etc etc. I played a bit ND's Uncharted's MP's but would NEVER buy the MP separately and certainly wouldn't have bought 'Factions'. Even if it was F2P, I'd still not bother with these.
How many people complain about Halo or Gears Campaign not living up to expectations - certainly since Bungie/Epic stopped making those. Even this years CoD is considered a 'dud' because its Campaign is 'very weak'. So many 'Live Service' games are struggling and even MP games aren't really 'succeeding' in pulling players away from 'established' online games.
Karl Morley played the best mp game ever but it was not finished and is canceled, cant trust any claims done by Karl Morley.
Next thing Karl Morley will tell you to buy a game just because Karl Morley tells you its the best everrrrr
So that’s what went wrong. They tried to make it ‘fun’ instead of ‘engaging.’
Maybe I think Sony realised how much it would take away in development and support time for live services games.
And you know what for me, they did the right thing I have no interest in multiplayer live service games.
And if Sony put more resources into those and we lost single player campaign driven games then Sony could lose me, because that is why PlayStation is PlayStation for me, those amazing Uncharted, Last of us, GOWR games.
Maybe Sony realised they nearly tore their own PlayStation heart and sole out.
I bet it is a fun multiplayer experience but it's done and over with now.
Also, unless ND made it it's own standalone project, I don't see it being better then other games that are multiplayer-first, like TF2 for example.
It probably sucked, so they pulled the plug.
If it was so amazing, why didn't we even get a look at a Beta?
Three years wasted.
Sony get back on track please with SP games.
I don’t like Final Fantasy which you seem to rely on so so much lately. Also in 2024 as well.
Spider-Man is hit or miss for me so that left me HFW Burning shores this year 2023 from in house.
To explain simply how backwards Sony have started to go my first 2 years PS5 hours analysis was about 200 to 250 hours each year.
2023 you ready for this 37 hours.
Enough said for 2023 and you know what 2024 is looking no better at the minute.
I have owned every single PlayStation console and of course I have to use memory here but since the launch of PlayStation. The 2023 37 hours playtime for the year is the lowest in PlayStation history for all PlayStation console since the PS One.
They are starting to become the Sony in the TV market, making some dodgy decisions, a bit arrogant and going from king number one spot in the TV market to 5th and miles behind the top two. And are still are arrogant enough only to put two full 2:1 HDMI sockets in their top OLEDS and micro LED TVs in 2023. And have no combination option for 120hz with VRR and Dolby Vision on at once.
Go see LG and Samsung all 4 ports HDMI 2:1
And full 120hz with VRR and Dolby Vision on at once on the LGs.
Sony need a kick up the arse and are due one for the sake of PlayStation gaming getting back to its best again.
well, i hope we don't need to hear about ex naughty dog employees praising their cancelled game for the next 5 years. this to me sounds more like damage control to preserve the studios image or a way of expressing their discontent over what sony did to their precious game. in either case, i doubt the rug was pulled from under their feet and druckmann had his part to play in all this.
i think the average sony fan was sick and tired of hearing about this project for so long without even as much as a trailer to show for it. move on naughty dog and get your **** in order. you are slipping as a studio and need to earn our trust back. unfortunately, the last of us 3 won't cut it. naughty dog absolutely needs to hit a home run with a new IP before the ps5 cycle comes to a close.
@OldGamer999 There is nothing wrong with them making multiplayer games they need to branch out to keep people interested. At some point CoD isn't going to cut it anymore and they need their own.
@OldGamer999 This exactly this. 100 spot on with everything you wrote. Ps5 has been out 3 yrs already and we barely got any exclusives. We’ve been getting the same recycled garbage for yrs now. Spiderman 2 was great but took me 23 hrs to platinum that’s including sight seeing. Sonys problem is they got too comfortable due to xbox exclusives being trash. Its time to start pumping out 3 4 exclusives per yr im tired of 1 to 2 short games. Its gotten so bad that im having to replay ps4 games and im bored outta my mind. FF is a hit and miss i like the remake but new FF was eh. If it wasnt for 3rd party developers ps5 would be dead right now.
It got cancelled because of that no good Bungie Entertainment.
yes like others, I think just release it as a standalone multiplayer at 10 or15$.
It's easy to say that a game nobody will see is the best ever. Who can argue?
And at this point, who cares? What does one person's opinion matter?
Move on.
It sucks, but ultimately, I think this is the right call. The last thing anyone wants is for Naughty Dog to become a live service machine. Let them get back to what they do best: epic single player experiences. Now, if we could only get a new Uncharted game....
@HonestTruth
Well that was more to the point than what I said but was the harsh truth really.
Hopefully they will get their act together.
I’m hoping if they release PS5 Pro late 2024 they have a very special single player campaign game to release along side to show off the new hardware.
My Son who is 18 and a massive PlayStation Fan had his lowest hours in PlayStation since he got on board a good few years ago.
He had 197 PlayStation hours 2023, he is normally more than double that in previous years.
@Hundred_Hand_Slap i doubt sony puts that much faith on a failing studio like bungie to call the shots. the game was mismanaged for 5 years. knowing how much power druckmann has at the studio, i'm surprised he isn't getting the bulk of the blame here.
Why it's possible as the live service only?
Why not to release it as the online only old style. Like a LAN game but online.
Half Life LAN was so fun to play without any live service for example.
it's a shame they cant undo the Sony shackles find somewhere that's willing to fund them properly and increase the Studio size
"I enjoyed playing with all my fellow developers, who are here smiling just offscreen"
More fun than any other online game that's not a high threshold to pass
@PlayStationGamer3919
Hopefully they will but can’t work out what one of their studios some new big AAA campaign game would come from really in 2024.
Yeah I doubt it. Otherwise it wouldn't have been axed 😅
To summarise what the DF boys said in yesterday's Direct, what happened to games just having multiplayer built in at launch that isn't monthly sub monetised? Letting that drive sales rather than games as a service nonsense if you will. Seems a lot of devs have forgotten you can do that.
Fortnite has a lot to answer for because it's inadvertently driven the GaaS business model. I certainly think it's responsible for Minaj being in CoD - I personally find her fake plastic hideous but if CoD players find her attractive then it makes me hate the franchise even more 😂
@Ooccoo_Jr I no longer work for Ubisoft, I don't ever see myself working for them in the future in any capacity, even if they offered me a big bag of money and my own project. Immortals Fenyx Rising being one such reason, Beyond Good and Evil 2 is another, and the collection of dumpster fires like X Defiant that consumed them for a good number of years. They don't listen to their staff, aside from the yes men beneath them who thinks Ubisoft's excrement smells like roses.
I will say this much I believed in that project. I advocated for it hard. It hurt me every step of the way to see Ubisoft interfere with it and cut it off at the knees at every opportunity. At least it isn't as bad as all the cancelled splinter cell projects over the last decade.
@Tielo Sorry, but you're just talking nonsense. You're bit about country culture is a sideways rant into no where.
Coming back with nothing than an anecdote or proverb about your experience isn't really learning anything. Common complaint I hear out of developers is, no one takes the bad in with the good and really gets to the heart of the problem. Eventually just end up in this eco chamber of good vibes that distracts from the actual problem at hand. This is also not an American Culture idea (ND is an American Studio after all on the west coast, that idealogy belongs mostly to the Californians, not the rest of the United States).
Don't get me wrong, having strong conviction to push through and say "what have I learned from this" is a great attitude to have, but the stance in of its self can be just as negative if you can't identify or never take a moment to identify what went wrong. Believe me I've sat through enough cancelled game projects where a studio just moves onto the next just flapping their gums about what they learned. When in reality they actually learned nothing and the next project suffers a whole new set of mistakes, caused by the same old ones made on the last project. Worse an over compensation for a percieved mistake that spirals out of control. Such as keeping strong scope control in the first project, only letting it run wildely out of control on the next. Becuase a lack of features killed your last project and just ends up killing your current one. Meanwhile not listening to the people who are there shouting "Don't do this". It's infuriating.
I don't think this project was as good as they are selling it, I think we're just in another case of people just not being able to let go and thinking more of their project than it really was. Which is a problem XDefiant is suffering from right now.
No it was not, and no i can’t think any more to say.
This is the most dissapointing news in gaming for this generation and its obvious what happened.
Bungie was like we cant earn enough money from this long term as microtransaction potential is low and sony were like sure lets cancel it.
I'll be surprised if bungie doesn't fail and sony's live-action push doesn't fail long term.
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