It’s been revealed that Naughty Dog had prioritized The Last of Us Online for years before the project was cancelled in 2023, with the multiplayer title being far more than just a “side project.”
The sheer amount of resources dedicated to the game is one of the key reasons Naughty Dog has been relatively quiet throughout this console generation. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet only became the studio’s main priority after The Last of Us Online was scrapped.
Intergalactic Is The Priority For Naughty Dog Now
The information comes from Jason Schreier, who recently released a YouTube video examining Sony’s failed push into the live-service market.
There have been plenty of high-profile examples, including the quick death of Concord, Bungie’s struggles and cancellation of Destiny 2, and the lacklustre reception to Marathon. More recently, Schreier revealed that Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Hunters Gathering was being reworked from a live-service game into a smaller-scale multiplayer title.
Most notably, though, Schreier discussed one of the biggest casualties of Sony’s live-service strategy: The Last of Us Online.
When Naughty Dog cancelled the project in 2023, the studio explained that the game had grown significantly in scope. Releasing it would have required years of ongoing support, ultimately taking too many resources away from the single-player games Naughty Dog wanted to make.
However, Schreier notes that those resources were already being heavily consumed during development. A large portion of Naughty Dog was reportedly working on The Last of Us Online, alongside the studio’s various The Last of Us remakes and remasters. As a result, the multiplayer title was never simply a “side project.”
It wasn’t until the project was cancelled that much of the team could shift its focus towards Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which was officially revealed at The Game Awards in 2024, though there are also rumors that a new Uncharted game may well also be in development.
Very little has been revealed about Intergalactic since its announcement beyond its debut trailer and occasional comments from members of its cast. With Naughty Dog’s last original release being The Last of Us Part II in 2020, the studio is now approaching six years without a new game.
Do you wish that The Last of Us Online had been released? Or was it the right call to refocus on single-player projects? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Charlie is one of Insider Gaming's Guides Writers who's been in the gaming industry for a little over a year. Unfortunately for him, he enjoys every video game genre out…
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