Summary
Naughty Dog’s originalLast of Usgame featured a full-fledged multiplayer mode. Named “Factions,” this mode may not have gained the same fame and glory asThe Last of Us' single-player story mode, but it quickly found a place in the hearts of many fans and remained surprisingly active. While a Factions mode was originally intended forThe Last of Us Part 2, it was announced just prior to release that it would be coming in a future update. Factions never arrived, and fans have been desperate for aLast of Usmultiplayer sequel ever since.
After years of speculation, Naughty Dog confirmed that aLast of Usmultiplayer game was in the works back in June 2022, but as time went on, the news only got worse for the spin-off. From Bloomberg reports suggesting that Bungie was called in to inspect the game’s live-service viability to the eventual announcement last December thatThe Last of Us' multiplayer game was dead, it’s been a long and sad road forTLOUmultiplayer fans. And while fans may never know whatThe Last of Usmultiplayer was really going to look like, the recently releasedLast of Us Part 2 Remasteredmay provide a few hints.
Last of Us Part 2’s No Return Could Be Close to What TLOU Multiplayer Was Going To Be
No Return’s General Loop Would Feel Right at Home in a TLOU Multiplayer Game
The general gameplay loop ofThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return game mode sees players choose from two possible combat missions, complete the encounter, return to home base, upgrade some gear, and get ready to head back to another combat mission. Players complete this loop a total of six times, with the final combat mission seeing the player face off against a challenging boss, such asThe Last of Us Part 2’s Rat King.
This loop will be all too familiar to roguelike fans, with it essentially being the same general structure used in just about roguelike title out there. But viewing the loop in the context ofThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, it feels like it could have really fit the canceledLast of Usmultiplayer game.
It feels pretty safe to assume that this general structure would have carried over toThe Last of Usmultiplayer spin-off, with players engaging in some kind of multiplayer combat mission, heading back to home base, upgrading all their gear, and heading back out as a team. The only core difference would be that players would presumably be facing off against other players as opposed to strictly AI.
The Last of Us' canned multiplayer spin-off could have even used the same encounter types asThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode: Assault sees players take on several waves of enemies in any way they see fit;Hunted sees enemies continue to swarm the playeruntil the timer runs out; Holdout is a similar affair but with an AI companion helping out; and Capture sees players attempt to steal the contents of the enemy group’s safe.
While the first three would need adjusting to try and introduce at least one more team of real-world players, the last mode could be left completely unchanged, with real-world players simply being subbed out for AI.
Of course, fans have no real idea of whatThe Last of Usmultiplayer might have looked like, as no official gameplay footage was ever revealed, and only one or two concept art images were released publicly.The Last of Us Part 2’s No Return modedoes seem like it would share at least some of its DNA with the multiplayer game, though that does little to satiate many fans' desires for a newLast of Usmultiplayer project.
