Summary
- Naughty Dog's The Last of Us franchise, which has seen tremendous success, may be in trouble due to layoffs and the indefinite delay of a live-service multiplayer spin-off game.
- Layoffs in the gaming industry, including at Naughty Dog, indicate budgeting issues and lack of job security, which could drive workers away and lead to more studios facing budget cuts.
- The live-service nature of The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off presents development challenges, and it would be sad to see it further delayed or canceled. However, the poor treatment of game developers and the state of the industry are more concerning than the cancelation of the game.
Naughty Dog's The Last of Us has seen a lot of success in the past few years. The Last of Us Part 2 received critical acclaim, a remake of the first game came to PS5 and PC, and the HBO television adaptation was a smash hit with fans and critics alike. Despite this success, the series could now be seeing itself in some trouble. A live service multiplayer spin-off, announced around the release of the second installment, was recently delayed indefinitely. Now, news is coming out that Naughty Dog is laying off many contract workers. This development has put the future of The Last of Us multiplayer game in jeopardy and could spell trouble for the franchise.
2023 has been a year filled with layoffs. January saw 10,000 Microsoft employees laid off. While this number is the most attention-catching, it represents a trend in the gaming industry. Team17, Relic, Bioware, and CD Projekt have all laid off developers this year as well. This trend is alarming and indicative of budgeting issues in the gaming industry, as games have grown so expensive that companies cannot ensure job security. This lack of security may drive workers away from the gaming industry, and overspending means that more studios will be hit with budget cuts.
Live Service Isn't A Strong Fit For The Last of Us
The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off is intended to be a live-service game based on the original's Factions Mode. The Last of Us has always been acclaimed for its single-player narrative and world-building, and Factions managed to blend these elements with competitive multiplayer. Players join either a clan of Hunters or Fireflies and try to build up their group. One's performance in each match impacts this meta-game element, and every match progresses time and propels the player's clan towards success or failure. While its implementation in the original game is relatively simple, the idea is ripe for expansion, so attempts to iterate on the mode in some way make sense.
The live-service nature of this multiplayer spin-off may be the reason for its development issues. The original Factions Mode lasted for 12 weeks. While this is almost 100 matches, a dedicated player will complete them quickly. The easiest way to make Factions work as a live-service title would be to remove this time cap and let players collaborate on a clan. This presents an issue of how the meta-game should unravel and how it should impact matches. Expanding this mode while keeping it fast and engaging could also present challenges with creating a compelling narrative, but live service games need new content persistently since they rely on long-term players. This consistent content rollout is expensive to pull off and would be a mistake for a product Naughty Dog isn't confident in.
Layoffs Could Lead to Cancelation for The Last of Us Multiplayer Game
Layoffs at Naughty Dog have seemingly left The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off in a state of uncertainty. While the game is not yet canceled, reports have indicated that quality assurance contractors are the ones being laid off and that the title is "on ice." The dubious quality of the title has raised questions about whether it would be good for The Last of Us brand and if it should see the light of day or not. While delays can help to improve a game, issues at a more fundamental level may be hard to correct, and given that the series has always emphasized a narrative-driven single-player experience, a multiplayer-only title might just not be compatible with the series.
The Naughty Dog layoffs will likely mean not only the end or substantial delay of The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off, but also represent a negative trend in the industry. Live service titles generate plenty of revenue for companies but can easily struggle to hold players' attention and fail if not executed properly. The overall trend toward more expensive video game development costs has created an insecure job market and has normalized layoffs. While the seemingly impending cancelation of The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off is bad news for fans, the poor treatment of game developers and the state of the industry for those who keep it running is much more grim.
The Last of Us multiplayer game is in development.