Ex-Last of Us Online director vows future projects will launch after cancellation heartbreak

Vinit Agarwal, former director of Naughty Dog's axed The Last of Us multiplayer game, promised on social media that no future project of his will face cancellation. He highlighted ongoing praise from ex-team members calling it their best multiplayer ever, and thanked the Last of Us community for support.

Over the weekend, Agarwal shared his resolve on social media, noting it's 'wild' how many former Naughty Dog colleagues still contact him to rave about the project's quality. 'It's still the best multiplayer game they've ever played,' he wrote, vowing: 'Never going to let what I work on not see the light of day again.' He also expressed gratitude to the Last of Us community for their 'support and confidence' (Eurogamer.net). This follows Agarwal's earlier podcast revelations about the game's cancellation—roughly 80% complete after seven years, axed amid Naughty Dog's pivot to single-player titles like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The standalone multiplayer spun out from the original Factions mode post-The Last of Us Part II (2020), faced delays, and was officially shelved in December 2023.

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