The Last of Us Online Canceled: Shocking Details Reveal 80% Completed Game Scrapped Just Before Presentation

In 2023, a loud news broke out that Sony and Naughty Dog canceled the development of The Last of Us Online — a multiplayer action game based on the cult post-apocalyptic series.

Many gamers were initially skeptical about the idea of an online game from a studio that makes first-class single-player titles, but despite this, the news surprised everyone since the project had huge financial and human resources spent on it, and its cancellation seemed like an illogical step.

Now the game director of The Last of Us Online, Vinit Agarwal, has shared additional details that make this story even more amazing.

What is Known

In an interview on the Lance E. Lee Podcast from Tokyo, Agarwal said that he learned about the cancellation of The Last of Us Online 24 hours before the large-scale presentation of the game. According to him, a team of 80 people worked on the project for seven years.

Moreover, Naughty Dog is based in California, which is the most expensive place in the world for game development, and it's only logical to guess how much money Sony spent creating this game.

But perhaps the most surprising thing is that the multiplayer variation of The Last of Us "was 80% ready" and soon had every chance for release.

Vinit Agarwal noted that Sony accelerated the development of the project after the coronavirus pandemic began, as online games were immensely popular at that time, but when it ended, the company faced a choice: continue or prioritize a story game from Naughty Dog, which is now known as Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

As is known, the second option was chosen.

Source: Lance E. Lee Podcast from Tokyo