He stared sadly at the multiplayer menu screen for The Last of Us Online on PS5

We’re still reeling from the cancellation of The Last of Us Online, Naughty Dog’s ambitious and mysterious multiplayer effort, with news emerging before the weekend that ended months of speculation. Now, the photo that a notorious leaker was lying about may be a balm, or just make the situation worse.

Dusk Golem He posted a selfie of what is claimed to be the game’s main menu screen Reset the erapacked with all the live-service accoutrements we’ve come to expect in this modern era of gaming, and quickly began to circulate on Social media. Rotating seasons of content, a battle pass, and a premium store, all things we’ve seen before, but with the look of The Last of Us.

It makes the reality of what Sony and Naughty Dog were involved in, swimming with sharks like Fortnite and Call of Duty, seem more apparent by contrast. How has a studio known for cinematic and single-player excellence been able to keep up and satisfy a mainstream audience that expects meaningful new content, quickly? Factions, The Last of Us 2013’s multiplayer offering has been a long time coming, folks; The outlook is vastly different these days.