Report: Bungie’s Feedback Led to Cancellation of The Last of Us 2 Multiplayer Project, Clarifies Destiny 3 Rumors
In case you didn’t know, The Last of Us Part 2 originally had a multiplayer component being developed at Naughty Dog that was set to be released sometime after the game’s release. However, after receiving advice from Bungie, the project faced cancellation, leaving many to speculate on the reasons behind this decision.
Jason Schreier from Bloomberg provided clarity on this situation. He revealed on X/Twitter:
Bungie gave Naughty Dog feedback that Naughty Dog found extremely helpful when making what was likely a very smart decision to not go all in on a service game
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) August 1, 2024
Bungie gave Naughty Dog feedback that Naughty Dog found extremely helpful when making what was likely a very smart decision to not go all in on a service game.
This feedback was crucial in guiding Naughty Dog’s choice to halt the multiplayer development.
The cancellation of The Last of Us 2 multiplayer project might have disappointed some fans, but it appears to have been a wise move. Schreier highlighted the struggles of single-player studios transitioning to live service games, citing Anthem, Suicide Squad, Marvel’s Avengers, and Redfall as examples.
Naughty Dog had previous multiplayer successes, but Bungie’s feedback suggested that dedicating too many resources to a live service project could be risky.
People lamenting this cancellation should really look at the history of single-player studios pivoting to make service games such as Anthem, Suicide Squad, Marvel's Avengers, Redfall, and so on
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) August 1, 2024
People lamenting this cancellation should really look at the history of single-player studios pivoting to make service games such as Anthem, Suicide Squad, Marvel’s Avengers, Redfall, and so on
In a related clarification, Schreier also addressed rumors about Destiny 3. He confirmed that Destiny 3 was never in development, debunking claims of its cancellation. Bungie had worked on an early spinoff project called Payback, which was canceled.
Just to clear up some rumors floating around, Destiny 3 was not canceled because it was never in development, per people familiar. Bungie did some very early work on a spinoff project called Payback, but they canceled that a while ago. I'll have a story tomorrow with more info
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) August 1, 2024
Just to clear up some rumors floating around, Destiny 3 was not canceled because it was never in development, per people familiar. Bungie did some very early work on a spinoff project called Payback, but they canceled that a while ago
This latest update from Bungie is concerning, but the studio’s strong focus on Destiny and Marathon offers hope for the future. Even if Destiny 3 isn’t coming soon, we should still be seeing support for Destiny 2 for a long time.
More MP1st Reading:
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