The Last of Us Online Received Praise From Former PlayStation Executive

Naughty Dog is quite an iconic video game studio. They have made multiple single-player blockbuster-style hits for PlayStation over the years. Their next big release is centered around being a science fiction experience. But before that game was officially announced to the world, the previous endeavor was The Last of Us Online. That game never saw the light of day, but one person who played it suggests it was a great experience.

Naughty Dog is known for its single-player-focused games. Titles like Uncharted and The Last of Us typically come to mind when the studio is mentioned. However, what came as a surprise was that the studio was attempting to bring out a live-service game. Now, they were not straying too far off from what they were known for, as we knew this live-service game would be based on The Last of Us IP. But a couple of years ago, at this point, the game was canceled.

Now, thanks to Eurogamer, we’re learning that former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida mentioned the title in a recent interview. During the conversation, Yoshida noted that they had played The Last of Us Online and said that it was great. However, as Yoshida noted, the decision came after Naughty Dog spoke with Bungie.

During their conversations, Bungie explained their thought process on how live service games should be handled. It was only after that conversation that Naughty Dog learned that this would ultimately stretch resources too thin. Instead of pursuing The Last of Us Online, they stopped production to focus on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

Of course, Sony’s stance on live service games might have shifted. With Concord’s failure, it’s reported that a few projects were scrapped and evaluated. Meanwhile, in other news regarding Shuhei Yoshida, while he’s no longer attached to Sony, he does feel like 2028 would be a good year for a PlayStation 6 release. You can read more about his thoughts on the next console release right here.