The Last of Us Part 2 never launched with a PvP "Factions" mode like the first game, because a standalone TLoU multiplayer experience was on the way. However, after a troubled development cycle and mass layoffs the multiplayer project has now been put on ice indefinitely.
The Last of Us will always be remembered as a single-player franchise. And that's probably as it should be; the original game set a new standard for writing in video games, which, as we discussed in our podcast review, was seamlessly translated into a new medium for the HBO show.
However, there was a multiplayer mode called Factions in the first game. It was very simple, and only consisted of three modes. But Factions was far better than it had any right to be, and it garnered something of a cult following within the shooter community.
Fans of the mode were therefore devastated when it was revealed that "The Last of Us: Part 2" would not have any form of multiplayer mode. Naughty Dog had originally planned Factions for TLoU 2, but it was just too difficult for them to produce alongside the ambitious story mode.
We were told that we would instead get the multiplayer mode as a standalone game at a later date, and this was confirmed in June 2022 by Neil Druckmann. However, now it seems doubtful that we will even get this standalone version of Factions 2.
Last of Us Multiplayer Delayed: The Story So Far
To recap: Earlier this year, Bloomberg's most well-known investigative games journalist Jason Schreier released an absolutely damning report on the state of the multiplayer Last of Us project. According to his sources, Bungie (who are now owned by Sony) were asked to review Naughty Dog's work, and they thought it was terrible. As a result, multiple devs were apparently moved to other titles, and the whole project was scaled down.
Seemingly in response to this insider scoop, Naughty Dog released an official statement within 24 hours of Schreier's report being published. They admit that the game needed more time:
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. Our team will continue to work on the project, as well as our other games in development, including a brand new single-player experience; we look forward to sharing more soon.
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) May 26, 2023
At that point in time, the game was evidently still in active development, despite its troubles.
Last of Us Multiplayer Game Put On Hold After Mass Layoffs
However, the project's future is suddenly looking a lot more uncertain. Earlier this month, Kotaku reported that at least 25 workers at Naughty Dog were let go recently, and that the "Factions" standalone game was considered "[...]basically on ice at this point".
This might be part of a concerted effort to refocus the studio's resources on more promising projects, such as a The Last of Us Part 2 remaster or their still unnamed fantasy game. However, this is still pure speculation at this point. Either way, I wouldn't bet on the "Factions" standalone title releasing anytime soon, if at all.
If any more details of the multiplayer game emerge you'll find them here ASAP, of course.