Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann took the stage at Summer Game Fest 2022 to give fans their biggest update yet on the The Last of Us standalone multiplayer game. He explained that the long-awaited online game will be worth the wait, promising a package that is just as big as any of the studio’s other single-player projects. It’ll tell a new story, with new characters in a new setting in the United States to explore.
“This game is big,” Druckmann said. “It’s as big as any of our single-player games that we’ve done, and in some ways bigger.”
Druckmann added that the The Last of Us multiplayer standalone game is already in good shape. The project is currently led by Naughty Dog co-game directors Vinit Agarwal and Anthony Newman, as well as narrative lead Joseph Pettinati. While no gameplay was shown, Naughty Dog did share a piece of concept art.
Excited to share this image!
My love for The Last of Us & @Naughty_Dog's MP modes inspired me to join the studio. Co-directing the first standalone online experience, one of our biggest efforts ever, is a dream. Can’t wait to reveal more of what this incredible team is building! pic.twitter.com/nPlZRPtn74
— Vinit Agarwal (@vinixkun) June 9, 2022
The Last of Us — which was also announced to receive the remake treatment during Summer Game Fest 2022 — originally launched with a built-in multiplayer mode called Factions. The Last of Us Part II, however, did not, with Naughty Dog indicating that the team was working on some kind of multiplayer component that would arrive post-launch. Now, those online ambitions have spawned this new standalone experience.
Druckmann said that fans can expect to hear a lot more about the The Last of Us multiplayer standalone game next year. Stay tuned for more updates as Naughty Dog continues development.
