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

This article was updated by Andrea Tram 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 set in the game The last of us the universe was apparently 80% complete when the studio decided to cancel the project in 2023. Work on The last of us online started in parallel with the development The last of us part 2as Naughty Dog aimed to expand on the multiplayer mode featured in the original 2013 title, which was known as Faction. Unfortunately, the project became too ambitious for the studio and was eventually shelved after nearly seven years of development.

Although Naughty Dog is best known for creating some of PlayStation's most popular single-player games, narrative experiences such as The last of us and Unchartedhas also found success over the years with its multiplayer ventures. Not just numerous Uncharted the games include the very popular online multiplayer modes, but the original The last of us as of 2013, it also comes 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 in the background - custom image by Rachael Fiddis

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The Last of Us multiplayer was 'very close to being done'

With Factions, they became massively popular among them The last of us The Naughty Dog community decided to build on this mode by creating a standalone multiplayer game set in the same universe. Dubbed as The last of us onlinethe highly-anticipated title was first announced in 2022, and Naughty Dog described it as an “extremely ambitious undertaking.” The studio even expanded to ensure it had the necessary resources to build a full-fledged standalone multiplayer game with such a massive scope. Unfortunately, the project was canceled in 2023, and the game director has now said that it was 80% complete at the time of its cancellation.

On March 29, 2026, The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann shared what fans believe to be a tease for The Last of Us Part 3 on Instagram, with the caption “It's been a wild ride. Gratitude for every part of it, especially the few stops left on the road ahead,” which fans believe is a nod to the next chapter. Additionally, a new Uncharted rumor recently surfaced stating that a new game in the series was being developed before COVID and was likely 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 “It was very, very close to being done. 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 much of this was due to funding and the COVID-19 pandemic. “During COVID, the gaming industry saw huge growth because everyone was at home. So in 2020, money was pouring into the gaming industry because people were suddenly playing a lot more games because they were at home – what else are they going to do?”

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With online gaming seeing a huge boom in 2020 as much of the world was shut down and people were forced to stay at home, Agarwal says that was one of the reasons why PlayStation decided to fund The last of us online. “The game did really, really well internally,” says the former director. However, as people began to return 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 a highly anticipated PS5 exclusive Intergalactic: The Heretical 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 was canceled in 2023, Naughty Dog said he felt the experience was unique and had “tremendous potential.” However, once full production got under way, the studio said the scope and ambition were clear. As a live service title, Naughty Dog would have to support The last of us online for years to come, which would mean pumping resources into the title and detracting from other single-player projects that have “defined Naughty Dog's legacy.”

A year later, Naughty Dog continued the reveal Intergalactic: The Heretical Prophet at The Game Awards 2024. The all-new IP is an all-star sci-fi game that Naughty Dog says will be an “emotional, character-driven journey” that will feature “the studio's wildest and most creative story yet.” There is currently no release date or window set for Naughty Dog's next game, but fans are hoping to see more from the title as it nears the two-year mark since its reveal.