With its notable absence during the PlayStation Showcase and a later clarification online, it seems as though Naughty Dog is going back to the drawing board on its previously announced The Last of Us multiplayer game. The highly anticipated title may have been leaning too hard into trends in gaming that are now beginning to fall out of favor, and with Naughty Dog's pedigree, it only makes sense that the studio refuses to show more information on a The Last of Us game that it knows needs more time in the oven.

The Last of Us franchise is in its heyday, fresh off the critically acclaimed first season of the HBO adaption. On new platforms and mediums of entertainment, the post-apocalyptic franchise has become something of a cultural institution, filling the mainstream niche that The Walking Dead left behind. Naughty Dog has undoubtedly factored this increase in prominence into the timing of its next entry in the franchise, but quality still trumps timing for the studio, and following introspection with the aid of Bungie, the delay seems appropriate.

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Naughty Dog May Have Averted Disaster With Its Recent Delay

Deadshot Aiming Suicide Squad

Many assumed that more information would be imminently following after 2022's Summer Game Fest, where Neil Druckmann came out to personally unveil Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer project. Druckmann doubled down in early 2023, stating that the title's big reveal would be coming within the year.

Given a release window of sometime in 2023, fans were right to expect something at this year's Summer Game Fest or the preceding PlayStation Showcase, but a decision to miss both events came down to a tough call spurred by consultation from Bungie. The game remains in active development, presumably for significant retooling, with a statement by Naughty Dog on Twitter citing a need for more time before introducing the title to the public.

The news comes off the heels of a disastrous reveal for Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The developers of the groundbreaking Batman: Arkham series had gone quiet since 2015's Batman: Arkham Knight, but sprung back onto the scene in 2020 with a thrilling trailer for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Rocksteady let that hype-inducing trailer simmer for a few years before showing a gameplay reveal back in February 2023.

The reception was night and day from the previous reveal, with dated loot-based mechanics, stilted movement and action, and a framework for the gameplay loop that had previously been lambasted in Gotham Knights. After the backlash, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's release date was pushed to 2024.

Lastof Us multiplayer Reveal

Timing is tricky in the industry, with the ebb and flow of gaming trends often running at odds with the years-long process of game design. What would be a smash hit during its inception and initial blueprinting phase could be contrived and dated in an oversaturated genre by the time release rolls around. Loot-based gameplay had its time in the sun, as many studios attempted to emulate what made Destiny so popular, with ARPG mechanics retooled for shooters and open-world RPGs.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's gameplay reveal showcased that flavor of a gear system to the dismay of its audience, who had since become disenchanted with the trite mechanics of a loot treadmill. The delay was a smart move from Rocksteady and parallels the tough decision that Naughty Dog faced as its new The Last of Us game is in a presumably similar boat.

Few AAA studios have the sterling track record that Naughty Dog has, which has earned it the benefit of the doubt. When it is ready to show more regarding the new The Last of Us multiplayer game, the expectation is still set for something truly remarkable, regardless of the delay.

The Last of Us' multiplayer game is currently in development.

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