The follow-up to the cult classic Factions multiplayer mode from The Last of Us could come out sooner than you think. The Last of Us Part 2 shipped without a multiplayer mode to give Naughty Dog more time to work on the single player story, but the studio also stated that the team’s work on an online mode would not be entirely scrapped. Instead, it just wouldn’t be a part of The Last of Us Part 2.
In a recent Sony business briefing, the company detailed its plans for upcoming PlayStation games set to release in FY2022. A document titled “PlayStation: The Road to Profitable Transformation” goes over the usual earnings, growth vectors, and things like that, but one section of the presentation in particular has caught the eyes of some fans.
A chart shows the projected number of SIE live service franchises year by year, with the company only having one (MLB The Show 22) at the moment. Sony plans to grow this to 3 by the end of FY2022, but the other titles have yet to be revealed according to a Q&A with SIE President Jim Ryan. Destiny, developed by the now Sony-owned Bungie, isn’t included in that group either. That means there are two unannounced PlayStation live service titles slated for FY2022
Sony has expressed interest in developing live service components for most of its major franchises to boost revenue, and we’ve already seen hints of that with the release of titles like Ghost of Tsushima: Legends. There’s a good chance that one of these new live service titles will be announced sometime this summer during what used to be E3 season, but a large chunk of fans already agree on one thing: it’s probably The Last of Us Factions.
Remember, the multiplayer component for The Last of Us Part 2 evolved into its own project years ago, so it must be nearing a reveal. Plus, with the rumors of a remake of The Last of Us releasing very soon, it makes a ton of sense for this revamped multiplayer mode to ship alongside it or shortly after. If The Last of Us Factions 2 were to release as a free-to-play title on PS4 and PS5 (with a possible PC release), it would be huge source of revenue for PlayStation.
Naughty Dog is hiring across multiple disciplines for the studio's first standalone multiplayer game! Visit https://t.co/xUYV9m8PJF to learn more! pic.twitter.com/ub9hg433po
— Naughty Dog Jobs (@NaughtyDogJobs) August 27, 2021
It’s widely accepted that Naughty Dog is still working on some sort of multiplayer project for The Last of Us at the very least, but it seems like the game may be more amibitious than just a simple Factions follow-up.
Speaking on the latest GB Decides podcast, insider Jeff Grubb said that “no game called Factions will ever come out and not in a bad way.” He then followed up with speculation that the development team “probably just decided they can do more,” implying that the game has grown in scope.
Naughty Dog is also hiring for a standalone multiplayer project, and this is widely believed to be The Last of Us Factions 2. Expect to see a reveal for some type of Last of Us multiplayer project sometime in the next few months, even if it’s not explicitly called Factions. It may not be one of the two live service titles planned for FY2022, but it is one of the few multiplayer projects that we know currently exists at a first-party PlayStation studio.
The Last of Us Part 2 is available now on PlayStation 4.
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