The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog has confirmed that it’s working on a new single-player game in a fairly odd manner. The news came in the middle of an apologetic post explaining why the studio didn’t show its upcoming Last of Us multiplayer project during this week’s PlayStation Showcase.
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) May 26, 2023
Naughty Dog teased the project last year during Summer Game Fest, confirming it was early in development. The studio only showed some concept art at the time and hasn’t said much since. While the game was never scheduled to appear during this week’s Sony livestream, fans had anticipated that it may be part of the show. It wasn’t, leading Naughty Dog to address its fans.
While the post mostly explains why the reveal (which was never confirmed for the show) didn’t happen, it dropped some surprising information: that it’s also working on a brand new single-player game.
“We’re incredibly proud of the job our studio has done thus far, but as development has continued, we’ve realized what is best for the game is to give it more time,” the studio says. “Our team will continue to work on the project, as well as our other games in development, including a brand new single-player game.”
There’s currently no word on what that game is, but one could logically assume that it might be The Last of Us Part III. The series has become Sony’s tentpole franchise, leading to a popular TV adaptation that’s in need of more material if it’s going to get past season 2. There’s also a chance it could be a new installment of the Uncharted series or something entirely new.
While the transparency on the project is welcome, the post itself is a little strange considering that Naughty Dog never set any expectation that it was showing off its multiplayer game anytime soon. There may be another reason for that apology, though. Bloomberg reports that the developer is currently reassessing the project after scaling it back. Naughty Dog did not respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment, but the apology came right on the heels of the report’s publication.
