SGF 2022: The Last of Us Part 2’s New Game Will Be A Stand-Alone Multiplayer Game

It’s official, The Last of Us Part 2 will now not have an update or DLC introducing the highly anticipated multiplayer component, but instead that "DLC" will launch as a stand-alone multiplayer game. Naughty Dog’s Co-President Neil Druckmann restated that: "One of the things we mentioned a while back is that what started as a multiplayer mode has evolved beyond the teams' ambition and we felt the way to do it justice is to make it a standalone title." Which is important to bring up, because back in 2019, before the launch of The Last of Us Part 2, Naughty Dog did announce the same from their Twitter account.

Still, what is rather disappointing is that despite the game being in full development for two years, the only thing presented at Summer Game Fest was some concept art. Druckmann then went on to say: "This game is big, it's as big as any of our single-player games and in some ways bigger. It's got a story, and the way we're telling that story is very unique to this game." In addition, it was also mentioned that this game will have a brand-new cast of characters as it takes place in another part of the United States.

Another pain point from this announcement was that there was no release date. Even though originally the base game of The Last of Us Part 2 was said to have multiplayer, the idea was scrapped for a standalone game in 2019. Now, 3 years later and there is only concept art to show. Then again, The Last of Us fans should be used to waiting at this point, with The Last of Us being released in 2013 and then Part 2 being released 7 years later. We can only hope the multiplayer title is released before 2027.