It’s finally here, The Last of Us Part II is set to release in June and we couldn’t be more excited. Long time fans of the franchise may remember that the original game featured a multiplayer mode known as Factions. After some comments from Naughty Dog last year, lots of fans got the impression that Factions would be making a return in the sequel, but now it seems Naughty Dog has taken back its statement. So, what’s going on here? Does The Last of Us Part II have a multiplayer mode or not?
Does The Last of Us Part II Have a Multiplayer Mode?
Unfortunately, the simple answer is no, there is no multiplayer mode in The Last of Us Part II. However, Naughty Dog has indicated that it is working on a separate project that could see a new multiplayer release within the world of The Last of Us. Unfortunately, the team has indicated that that project is a bit of a way away and isn’t willing to reveal any more information about it at the time of writing.
In an interview with Polygon at E3 2018, Anthony Newman, the co-director of The Last of Us Part II said, “There is going to be multiplayer with the game. We’re really excited to share details about it, but that’s going to be a later date.” That’s a pretty clear cut statement, indicating that at one point in time there were plans to develop a multiplayer option for the sequel. However, it seems that mid-development Naughty Dog had to pivot and change its plans, which the team announced on Twitter.
“As development began on the evolution of our Factions mode from The Last of Us Part I, the vision of the team grew beyond an additional mode that could be included with our enormous single-player campaign,” said a statement from Naughty Dog. “Wanting to support both visions, we made the difficult choice that The Last of Us Part II would not include an online mode.”
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Per the statement, it seems that Naughty Dog elected to put all of its focus into making the single-player mode of The Last of Us Part II the best it could possibly be. However, at one point in time, there were plans to develop more content surrounding the Factions mode from the first game, and it looks like that’s still part of the plan, just not as part of this game.
“However, you will eventually experience the fruits of our team’s online ambition,” reads the statement, “but not as part of The Last of Us Part II. When and where it will be released is still to be determined. But rest assured, we are as big a fan of Factions as the rest of our community and are excited to share more when it’s ready.”
At the time of writing, these statements are over six months old and with the release of The Last of Us Part II just around the corner, it’s possible we could hear some more news about the plans for Factions soon. However, I wouldn’t expect to hear anything until after the sequel has shipped.
For more on The Last of Us Part II, be sure to keep your eye on our homepage. In the meantime, you’ll find some links to some of our recent content below.
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