Naughty Dog hasn't released a new game since 2020 — canceled The Last of Us multiplayer is to blame

Naughty Dog, the acclaimed Sony-owned studio behind Uncharted and The Last of Us, has not released a single truly new game since 2020. The primary reason, according to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, is the canceled multiplayer title The Last of Us Online, which consumed the studio's resources for years.

The Last of Us Online was a large-scale service game set in the universe of The Last of Us. Despite Naughty Dog's reputation for narrative-driven single-player experiences, the project was positioned as a flagship product. The game was canceled in December 2023, even though it was reportedly "almost 80% complete."

Schreier explained in a video regarding the fate of Horizon Hunters Gathering that Naughty Dog realized supporting The Last of Us Online would drain all of the studio's resources. During development, the multiplayer game was the top priority, even as the studio was also working on its next big single-player title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

"The lion's share of employees only started working on Intergalactic after The Last of Us Online was canceled," Schreier said. "Most of the studio in the 2020s was either working on The Last of Us Online or on remasters and remakes. That's why they haven't released a single truly new game since 2020."

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet has been in development since 2020, but full-scale production only began in late 2023. Sony's studios have spent hundreds of millions of dollars and several years of development on failed or canceled service games, with The Last of Us Online being one of the most high-profile examples.