https://gamerant.com/the-last-of-us-multiplayer-season-2-delay-writer-actor-strike-long-wait-bad-why/There are two big Last of Us projects currently in the works, and both are in the same boat right now, suffering from some behind-the-scenes trouble.
Though it's one of the more recent franchises in the gaming world, The Last of Us has quickly become one of the most beloved video game IPs of all time, though it hasn't all been smooth sailing. Upon its debut in 2013, The Last of Us became an overnight sensation, breaking new ground for narrative-focused single-player experiences. And while its sequel, The Last of Us Part 2 received incredible critical acclaim upon its release in 2020, it proved to be a tad divisive among fans, and unfortunately, that isn't the only trouble the franchise has run into.
While the HBO The Last of Us show is generally considered to be a great adaptation of the source material, featuring excellent performances and writing, it was accompanied around the same time by a remake of the first game. Though many fans viewed this full-price remake as unnecessary, it did offer some decent upgrades and was generally reviewed well, though the same can't be said for the PC port of The Last of Us Part 1, which Naughty Dog is still trying to fix. And with two projects allegedly in some troubled water right now, The Last of Us isn't out of the woods just yet.
The Last of Us Multiplayer and The Last of Us Season 2 Are Both Suffering From Behind-The-Scenes Trouble
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Originally envisioned as an additional mode for The Last of Us Part 2, The Last of Us multiplayer became its own separate project back in 2019, with Naughty Dog properly confirming that work on the spinoff was still happening back in 2021. Then, during Summer Game Fest in 2022, Neil Druckmann took to the stage to show some concept art for The Last of Us multiplayer, along with the promise that fans would see more in 2023. But that hasn't really happened.
Back in May of this year, a Jason Schreier Bloomberg report alleged that work on The Last of Us multiplayer had slowed down, with some issues brewing behind the scenes. According to Bloomberg's sources, the recently acquired Bungie was tasked by Sony to evaluate all of its upcoming live-service projects, and apparently, it flagged up The Last of Us multiplayer as a game that might not have the "ability to keep players engaged for a long period of time." According to the report and a subsequent update, Bungie's concerns have led Sony to scale back The Last of Us multiplayer's development, with a good portion of the team being moved onto other Naughty Dog projects. An official statement from Naughty Dog following the report stated that The Last of Us multiplayer needed more time in the oven, and fans haven't heard anything since.
But the multiplayer spinoff isn't the only Last of Us project in a tough spot right now. The second season of HBO's The Last of Us is also undergoing its own setbacks right now. Originally slated for a 2025 release, The Last of Us Season 2 has been quietly delayed for an unknown amount of time due to the ongoing writer and actor's strikes. Before the strikes started a few months ago, The Last of Us' creators were all pretty confident about the upcoming second season, claiming that scripts had largely been finished and that filming was set to start soon.
Currently, there doesn't really seem to be an end in sight for the strikes, though it'll hopefully only be a matter of time before both actor and writer unions manage to get a deal they're happy with. With both actors and writers striking at the same time, the Hollywood production machine has been practically crippled for almost 150 days now, and though the aftermath of this strike can't be calculated just yet, it's sure to have a major knock-on effect for a good while, meaning that it could be quite some time before fans get to see The Last of Us Season 2. More The Last of Us projects are not seemingly in the works, which will create a big gap between releases.
