Summary
Video game development has multiple stages of production, involves a varied number of employees, and can take several years to finish. Naughty Dog’s secretive multiplayer project set inThe Last of Us' universe is a prime example of this and has since been confirmed to be going back to the drawing board to review aspects of its design.
Understandably, it is frustrating for fans to hear this news about the latest game fromThe Last of Usseries. Naughty Dog should be given the time and resources to create the game with the highest quality possible, but after so many years with next to no information, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the response to its indefinite delay has been mixed. In fact, it’s sharing a similar situation toHollow Knight: Silksongin that regard.
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Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Persistent Delays
Like an elephant in the room,Silksongis guaranteed to always be on players' minds when discussing games in a lengthy development state. The originalHollow Knightlaunched in 2017 and was a huge hit, garnering critical acclaim and being compared to thebest examples of the Metroidvania genre.Silksongwas originally meant to be DLC for the originalHollow Knight, but the project soon expanded into something much grander.
Formally revealed in February 2019,Hollow Knight: Silksongis a full-blown sequel to the original. The reveal trailer boasted incredible visuals, enhanced combat, and more of the same atmosphere players loved in the first installment. It quickly became a hotly anticipated title but little did players know it would be quite some time before they’d be able to play it, let alone see it in action once more.Hollow Knight: Silksong’s marketing went completely silentuntil the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase in 2022. But even now there are still no concrete details on a release date.
Similarities with The Last of Us Multiplayer Project
Ironically, Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Usmultiplayer project is following a very similar development cycle to whatHollow Knight: Silksonghas experienced over the last several years. It too originally began its life as a side project to support a pre-existing title, in this instance, amultiplayer component toThe Last of Us 2. It was meant to follow a similar style to the Factions mode included in the first game, but as production advanced, the team got even more ambitious and the game turned into something else entirely.
Unable to meet the launch ofThe Last of Us 2in June 2020,Naughty Dogmade the decision to split this project away and turn it into its own dedicated release. That was three years ago, and the studio has shown next to nothing about the project aside from some concept art and general information about the game. What’s more troubling is that experienced multiplayer developer Bungie apparently stepped in and deemed the project unviable as a long-term live service release, a concerning opinion after so much production time.
Naughty Dog is filled with talented peopleas evidenced by its rich catalog of games, so the benefit of the doubt should be given here. At the same time, though, it’s hard to not feel anxious when such a high-profile release completely vanishes. Hopefully those eagerly anticipating bothThe Last of Us' multiplayer andHollow Knight: Silksongdon’t have much longer to wait for a positive update.
The Last of Us' spin-off multiplayer game is in development.
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