The Last of Us Multiplayer Was 80% Complete Before Cancellation, Spent 7 Years in Development

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According to the game’s director, the planned multiplayer game for The Last of Us was nearly finished – about 80% complete – when development was stopped. The project had been in the works for approximately seven years.

In a recent podcast interview with Lance E. Lee, Vinit Agarwal discussed his experiences at Naughty Dog, including the development and eventual cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer. Agarwal, who served as a game director, explained he dedicated almost seven years – from 2016 to 2023 – to the project.

When the game was cancelled, Agarwal explained in an interview that they had finished almost 80% of the work on it, saying it was ‘very, very close to being finished.’

Agarwal explained the context of the project, noting that Sony invested during the COVID-19 pandemic. He described how the gaming industry experienced significant growth during that time, as people stuck at home turned to games for entertainment. Essentially, with limited options, many more people started playing games, leading to a surge in investment in 2020.

Honestly, when everyone was stuck at home, online gaming just exploded – it was how a lot of us stayed in touch with friends and family. Sony saw that happening too, and they started investing big in online stuff, just like the rest of the industry. That’s actually how The Last of Us multiplayer even got started. We got the funding we needed, made a ton of progress, and honestly, internally, the game was looking really good. We were all super excited about it.

After the pandemic, when people went back to work, funding for video game development decreased. According to Agarwal, the cancellation of The Last of Us Multiplayer was a result of this funding shortage.

Naughty Dog faced a crucial decision: continue development on the current game or start work on the next project directed by Neil Druckmann. According to Agawal, they ultimately chose the game that would reliably support the studio – Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet – over a more ambitious, experimental game that he thought had significant potential.

Agarwal remembers that learning about the project’s cancellation was incredibly upsetting. He discovered the news a full day before it became public.

Currently, Intergalactic is expected to launch on PlayStation 5 in 2027, making it the only game Naughty Dog has officially announced. Meanwhile, Vinit Agarwal has left the studio and relocated to Japan to start a new team.

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2026-04-02 16:36