Last of Us multiplayer was 80% complete before it was cancelled

This article was updated by Andrea Trama on April 9, 2026 to include Neil Druckmann's TLoU 3 tease and a new Uncharted rumor. It was first published on April 2.

A standalone multiplayer game developed by Naughty Dog and launched The last of us universe was apparently 80% complete when the studio made the decision to cancel the project in 2023. Work with The last of us online began alongside the development of The last of us part 2as Naughty Dog aimed to expand on the multiplayer mode of the original 2013 title, which was known as Fractions. Unfortunately, the project became too ambitious for the studio and was ultimately shelved after nearly seven years in development.

Although Naughty Dog is best known for creating some of PlayStation's most beloved single-player experiences, such as The last of us and Unchartedit has also found success over the years with its multiplayer ventures. Not only did many Uncharted game includes very popular online multiplayer modes, but the original Last of us as of 2013 also shipped with an online component known as Factions. Support for the mode on PlayStation 3 ended in 2019 when the game's servers were shut down, but it can still be played on PlayStation 4 and 5 via The Last of Us Remastered.

Craig Mazin with The Last of Us game in the background - custom image by Rachael Fiddis

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The Last of Us Multiplayer game was 'very close to done'

With factions that become hugely popular among The last of us Naughty Dog decided to build on the mode by creating a standalone multiplayer game set in the same universe. Dubbed as The last of us onlinethe long-awaited title was first announced in 2022, with Naughty Dog calling it an “extremely ambitious undertaking”. The studio was even expanded to ensure it had the necessary resources to build a full-scale, standalone multiplayer game of such massive scope. Unfortunately, the project was canceled in 2023, and the game's director has now said that it was 80% complete when it was canceled.

On March 29, 2026, The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann shared what fans believe is a tease for The Last of Us Part 3 on Instagram, with the caption “Been a wild ride. Grateful for every part of it, especially the few stops left on the road ahead.”, which fans believe is a nod to the next chapter. Also, a new Uncharted rumor surfaced recently, that a new game in the series was being developed before COVID and was supposedly canceled during the pandemic.

Speaking on a new episode of the Lance E. Lee Podcast (via Push Square), former Naughty Dog employee Vinit Agarwal said The last of us online “was very, very close to doing.” He specifies that it was 80% complete and that he worked on the project for “almost seven years”, between 2016 and its cancellation in 2023. Agarwal explains that a lot of it came down to funding and the covid-19 pandemic. “During COVID, the gaming industry saw huge growth because everyone was at home. So in 2020, money poured into the gaming industry because people were suddenly playing a lot more games because they're at home – what else are they going to do?”

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With online gaming seeing a huge boost in 2020 due to most of the world being locked down, forcing people to stay at home, Agarwal says this was part of the reason why PlayStation decided to fund The last of us online. “The game was doing really, really well internally,” says the former director. But when people started returning to work, Naughty Dog was forced to choose between a new experimental title (The last of us online) or Neil Druckmann's next project, which we now know is the long-awaited PS5 exclusive Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. “It was a devastating moment for me,” Agarwal said. “I spent seven years working on that game. To find out it was canceled 24 hours before it was announced… it was just unfortunate.”

When The last of us online canceled back in 2023, Naughty Dog said it felt the experience was unique and had “huge potential”. But as full production ramped up, the studio said the scope and ambition became clear. As a live service title, Naughty Dog would have had to support The last of us online for years to come, which would have meant pumping resources into the title and taking away from other single-player projects that have “defined Naughty Dog's legacy.”

A year later, Naughty Dog would go on to reveal Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at The Game Awards 2024. The all-new IP is a science fiction game with a star-studded cast, which Naughty Dog says will be an “emotional, character-driven journey” with the studio's “wildest, most creative story yet.” There is currently no release date or window for Naughty Dog's next game yet, but fans are hoping to see more from the title soon as it approaches the two-year mark since its reveal.