author: Zuzanna Domeradzka
The Last of Us Online Devs Commemorate Cancelled Game: 'No Other Online Game Gave Me so Much Fun'
The developers of the cancelled The Last of Us: Factions recall the period of work on the game. It was a very important project for them.
On Friday, the world was abuzz with news regarding the cancellation of the new installment of The Last of Us, which focused on multiplayer mode. Work on Factions - that was the working title of the game - had to be put on hold due to the path Naughty Dog wants to take next. However, the developers had been working on the game for many years, so the decision to cancel the project must have been difficult.
Some of the developers of Factions have commented on the cancellation of the title. Karl Morley, who was involved, among other things, in designing and scripting the game, does not hide his disappointment:
"[I am - editor's note] completely heartbroken. (...) I learned more with this project than with any other in my career. No other network game has given me so much fun.
Kat McNally, who is responsible for dialogues at Naughty Dog wrote:
"Cancelling a game is never easy, but I am very proud of my studio and all that we have accomplished in creating this project. I bow to my QA and dialogue teams."
In turn, Nathaniel Ferguson, technical designer, states, that the cancellation of Factions is a sad moment, but the studio's future should not be forgotten in the process:
"I worked on the project since I was hired [at Naughty Dog - ed. note] in February 2022 until yesterday [the moment of cancellation of Factions - ed.], it was the most important time in my career, and the project itself will forever remain special to me. A sad day, but there is a promising future ahead."
We know from Naughty Dog's statement that the studio will now work on what it knows best - story-focused single-player games. The developers revealed that they are currently working on more than one such game, although we don't know if this includes a "remaster" of The Last of Us: Part II.
Factions as a live-service game would consume too much of Naughty Dog's time and resources. From a screenshot presenting the game's menu, circulating online for some time, one can conclude that they were creating a title that would have to be developed vigorously over the years - this is evidenced by the mention of seasons or a pass.
