because that wont make any money
And yet, it was initially said that the multiplayer mode would be available at launch. Later, it was stated that it would be added for free via a patch, so the mode had already been internally calculated and approved by management. Later still, it was said that they wanted to release the title as a full-fledged game, as it would become 'too big.'
June 2018:
The Last of Us Part 2 will include a multiplayer component, the game’s co-director, Anthony Newman, told Polygon at E3 2018.
“There is going to be multiplayer with the game,” Newman said. “We’re really excited to share details about it, but that’s going to be at a later date.”
September 2019:
“Multiplayer will not be included with The Last of Us Part 2,” said Anthony Newman, the game’s co-director. “I know we had kind of announced that [it would have multiplayer], but as the game has developed, it’s become so ambitious, so grand in scope, and so intricate in its complexity, that it really required the full focus of the studio to deliver this single-player experience.”
June 2022:
Druckmann said Naughty Dog wasn’t ready to reveal much about the game so far, but he did have a piece of concept art to share, showing two characters overlooking an apocalyptic city. Druckmann did say that the stand-alone multiplayer game will be as big as the developer’s single-player games, “and in some ways bigger.”
The decision to turn it into a service game could either stem from Sony's misguided approach with their GaaS strategy or from Naughty Dog itself, since TLOU II, although undoubtedly an incredibly impressive experience, had to deal with well-known controversies.
Factions 1 was very popular in TLOU I. Instead of offering a simple MP mode first, which wouldn't have cost much time and money because it was undoubtedly already far into development, we players now have nothing.
Complete bullshit, even though I like the TLOU series, this is just complete bullshit.
Back in the day, multiplayer was simply included with the game - whether it made perfect sense or not didn’t really matter. Uncharted 2/3 had basic Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and even a co-op mode where you could just shoot enemies with a friend. It was fun - not for weeks on end, but it definitely added value to the game.
So why not allow players to fight enemy waves in existing game areas with a friend? Or have an 8-player Deathmatch or some other simple mode?
Anything would be better than what we have (or rather, don’t have) now...
Getting pissed off while writing this
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