The cancellation of Naughty Dog's anticipated multiplayer offering, The Last of Us Online (colloquially known as Factions, originally meant to ship as part of The Last of Us: Part II), is a situation we still haven't quite recovered from in an industry seemingly beset by bad news. For better or worse, more information about the cancelled project has emerged from a reputable source, and unsurprisingly, it seems some folks at Sony were made to pay the price for the high-profile misfire.
Speaking on the Friends Per Second podcast, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier revealed some choice details about the tragically cancelled project (thanks, PSU). On X, user Dream Walker shared the relevant clip, in which Schreier reveals the multiplayer offering was in development for around four years, that it was an expensive project with a team in the hundreds, and that, as a result of its cancellation, heads were made to roll at Sony.
The more we learn about this mysterious situation, the more maddening it becomes. Hopefully, someday, the full story will come to light, and we can sleep again at night, knowing what was said to make it all go away.