The Last of Us 2 multiplayer will be a standalone game more ambitious than simply a 'Factions 2'.
[Update: May 24, 2022]
News that Last of Us 2's multiplayer, originally expected to be similar to the Factions game mode seen in the original title, has been scrapped and replaced with a much more ambitious standalone game, which has been given further credence by veteran games reporter Jeff Grub.Speaking on the GamesBeat Decides podcast with Mike Minotti, Grub claimed that "no game called Factions will ever come out and not in a bad way."
"They've probably just decided they can do more."
That statement ties in with that which we have originally reported (which you can read below) that claimed the game in production has long deviated from the Factions formula to encompass something much bigger in scale.
This game is likely to be a live-service title, something PlayStation CEO, Jim Ryan, is a huge proponent of, recently sanctioning the purchase of Bungie who have mastered the art with the Destiny titles.
Grub also claimed that the long-rumored The Last of Us remake was expected to be out released later this year and a likely PC port was in the offing.
So, plenty of good news for TLoU fans
[Original Article: April 1, 2022]
Alright, so first things first: You get your pinches of salt ready, and I'll reveal my source. This all comes courtesy of Oops Leaks, and here's the OG tweet:
NAUGHTY DOGTLOU Online GamePlanned as a Battle Royale but got completely rebooted. Described as a mix of Tarkov and Division with additional modes inspired by the original Factions MP. Single-player-like experience in online game. F2P, first on PS5 with further release on PC. pic.twitter.com/VyY7riRFjL
— Oops Leaks (@oopsleaks) March 31, 2022
If the tweet somehow doesn't load for you, or the headline wasn't clear enough, I'll spell it out again in this sub-header:
The Last of Us Multiplayer Will Be Free 2 Play
Damn, that's good news. Good guy Naughty Dog delivers once again - now, they just need to finally give us an official Uncharted 5 announcement.
The other good news in this tweet is that the game was originally planned as a Battle Royale, but Naughty Dog scrapped that idea and completely rebooted the multiplayer. That's probably why the game's been in development so long - after all, rumors regarding The Last of Us 2 multiplayer first emerged when the game was originally released.
Now, the game seems to be more inspired by Tarkov, while other sources have also confirmed that it's not dissimilar to The Day Before, which, frankly, was always a multiplayer game trying to copy The Last of Us as much as possible. Naughty Dog and Sony plan for the multiplayer to be free to play and to be a PS Live Service flagship title, with a release date in early 2023.