Tag: naughty dog

The Last of Us Multiplayer Game Has Been Cancelled, Naughty Dog Confirms

The Last of Us multiplayer game has been cancelled. In a blog post, developer Naughty Dog confirmed that the development on the promised online experience within the post-apocalyptic universe, which it was calling ‘The Last of Us Online,’ has been stopped. The astonishing news comes just a month after game director Vinit Agarwal assured fans that the project was still happening despite the numerous reported setbacks, including the laying off of 25 employees. One can’t simply release a live-service game into the wild and expect it to thrive. It desperately needs post-launch content for years to come, indirectly impacting a studio which is otherwise known for creating memorable single-player narratives.

“The multiplayer team has been in pre-production with this game since we were working on The Last of Us Part II — crafting an experience we felt was unique and had tremendous potential,” the post reads. “As the multiplayer team iterated on their concept for The Last of Us Online during this time, their vision crystalized, the gameplay got more refined and satisfying, and we were enthusiastic about the direction in which we were headed.” Naughty Dog then had to pick between two choices: become a live-service studio and feed into Sony PlayStation’s long-term monopoly-making plan (crafted by Jim Ryan) or focus on what the team is good at and create well-received story games. Clearly, the developer chose the latter path and has claimed that it’s got multiple titles in the works — one of which is presumed to be The Last of Us Part III.

This change in gears goes in line with a report from May, where Naughty Dog scaled back development on The Last of Us Online, to reassess its quality and long-term viability as the massive task at hand became clearer. You see, Sony got Destiny maker Bungie to evaluate its live-service slate and it brought up some concerns regarding TLOU multiplayer’s ability to keep players engaged for a long period. No gameplay footage was ever released to the public eye and all we got was an announcement during the Summer Game Fest 2022 and some concept art for the disease-ridden world, which is reminiscent of San Franciso — an area cut off from the main storyline to introduce a host of new NPCs. It started life as an additional game mode for The Last of Us Part 2 but was then separated to flourish as its own thing with high ambitions.

Last month, Sony halved the number of live-service games it planned to launch by March 2026 — going down from 12 to six titles — though it’s unclear whether that count included The Last of Us Online. Meanwhile, The Last of Us Part II is getting a remaster on January 19, featuring enhancements for the PS5 and a roguelite mode pitting you into randomised encounters against desperate survivors and the infected, as you play as familiar characters from the franchise, including Joel, Ellie, and Abby.

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The Last of Us Part II Remastered Confirmed by Naughty Dog, Will Include New Roguelike Survival Mode

The Last of Us Part II is being Remastered for the PlayStation 5, developers Naughty Dog have announced. The studio is promising a slew of technological improvements, new game modes, and other additions in a bid to make the remaster for a game, that came out on the PS4 in 2020, worth picking up on the PS5. Notably, the sequel to The Last of Us is playable on Sony’s current-gen console via backwards compatibility and had already received a PS5 update in 2021 that added support for 60fps. The Last of Us Part II Remastered will be coming to the PS5 on January 19, 2024, Naughty Dog has confirmed.

After the remaster leaked on PlayStation Network, the Sony-owned studio announced the upcoming title in a blog, alongside an announcement trailer, on November 17, calling it the “definitive way to experience” the game. The biggest new addition to the remaster is a new roguelike survival mode called No Return, which lets players take on enemies in randomized encounters. In addition to series protagonists Joel and Ellie, the No Return mode will also bring new playable characters from the game, each with their distinct abilities and traits that suit specific playstyles. “Players will chart their own course on each run, choosing between various stealth and combat encounters that will pit you against a range of enemies, with unique twists that can add new, unexpected factors to any given encounter,” Naughty Dog said in the blog.

The ‘No Return’ roguelike survival mode will include several playable characters
Photo Credit: Naughty Dog

Each roguelike run in the No Return mode will let players decide rewards for each encounter and how to upgrade their characters. New characters and skins can be unlocked with progress in the mode.

The game is getting a visual upgrade, as well. The Last of Us Part II Remastered will get native 4K output in Fidelity Mode, 1440p upscaled to 4K in Performance Mode, and an Unlocked Framerate option for TVs that support variable refresh rate. The remaster will also include increased texture resolution, increased Level-of-Detail distances, improved shadow quality, animation sampling rate, and more, according to Naughty Dog. The game also promises improved immersion with faster load times and haptic feedback and adaptive triggers support on the DualSense controller.

The upcoming remaster will also pack in some cut content from the original game. Players will be able to explore a new set of unfinished ‘Lost Levels’ in playable sequences that Naughty Dog says will provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the game. Lost Levels will also include embedded developer commentary to provide context on the parts of the game that didn’t make the cut.

Additionally, The Last of Us Part II Remastered will bring a Guitar Free Play mode that will let players show their musical talents across a variety of unlockable instruments. The mode will include different characters and a number of in-game locations to let players strum away wherever they want, with whomever they choose. The game will also feature an unlockable Speedrun Mode, bonus character and weapon skins and additions to the photo mode.

Pre-orders for The Last of Us Part II Remastered will begin December 5 for both standard edition and a new W.L.F. Edition, which includes a steelbook display case and other in-game trinkets. All existing owners of the original game on the PS4 will be provided a $10 (about Rs. 833) upgrade path for the remastered version on the PS5. Players will also be able to import their PS4 saves to TLOU Part 2 Remastered.

Previous leaks had hinted that Naughty Dog was working on a remaster for The Last of Us Part II, with a developer at the studio accidentally stating it in a LinkedIn post in October.

Naughty Dog also released The Last of Us Part I, a full remake of the original game from 2013, on the PS5 in September last year, carrying a $70 (Rs. 4,999 in India) price tag. The game was ported to PC earlier this year in March, launching with several performance and graphical issues.

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The Last of Us Part I Is Now Steam Deck Verified, With v1.1.0 Update

The Last of Us Part I is now Steam Deck verified, thanks to a new update that fixes several graphics and performance issues on the handheld gaming device. While the game was certainly playable on the Deck before, it was nowhere near the optimal experience, resulting in frequent crashes and some visual glitches that turned lead character Ellie Williams’ hair into spaghetti. The verification comes packed with update v1.1.0 — a welcome addition, given developer Naughty Dog initially claimed that it wasn’t a priority. The claim made sense at the time because the studio was facing criticism and addressing hotfixes for its terrible PC port.

The remaining chunk of the patch is aimed at fixing the Windows PC version, starting with optimisations to improve the CPU and GPU performance. In my technical review of The Last of Us Part I PC, I mentioned how the game would completely hog your processors’ cores, even while simply waiting in the main menu as the shaders complete building. That process was extremely time-consuming as well, an Naughty Dog claims to have reduced this with the latest update. Numerous crashes related to graphics settings have been fixed, in addition to one that occurred when trying to save Photo Mode pictures in 4K resolution. User reports also mentioned a delay when exiting the pause menu and trying to shoot immediately after — that’s been fixed as well.

Normally, enabling VSync should get rid of any screen tearing when panning the camera, but some of it persisted in The Last of Us Part I PC, which the developer has now addressed in patch v1.1.0. Being a full-blown remake of the original 2013 game, Naughty Dog added a bunch of fun modes to the new version, including a Speedrun mode, which throws a timer onto your screen for accurate splits. The studio has now rectified a glitch where the timer would roll back following a crash or when quitting to the desktop.

VRAM management was a big issue in this PlayStation–PC port, with the game originally requiring massive doses of memory to run at anything beyond the Low preset. The update has now added a Very Low graphics preset that would allow those with low-end graphics cards to be able to play the game, even if the visual fidelity looks poor.

“We at Naughty Dog and our partners at Iron Galaxy are closely watching player reports to support future improvements and patches,” the blog post reads. “We are actively optimising, working on game stability, and implementing additional fixes which will all be included in regularly released future updates.”

Last month, Naughty Dog revealed that it has begun work on a brand-new single-player experience based on the franchise, details of which will be revealed in time. Additionally, the studio scaled down the team working on The Last of Us multiplayer game as a means to ‘reassess its quality and long-term viability.’ As it turns out, the company summoned Destiny makers Bungie to evaluate the game, who then raised concerns about the project’s ability to keep players engaged for long periods. The game was expected to feature a new post-apocalyptic region and a cast of NPCs, marking the first project in the franchise where Neil Druckmann wasn’t involved as lead writer or director.

The Last of Us Part I is now available on PC and PS5.

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The Last of Us Part I PC Port’s New 25 GB Patch Brings Optimisation, Fixes Crashing, Improves Textures

The Last of Us Part I on PC has received a massive 25GB patch, aimed at improving the horrid condition it was launched at. Dubbed v1.0.4.0, the version marks the seventh update since the port was launched on March 28, proving that developer Naughty Dog hasn’t given up on it yet. The patch is mainly focused on optimising CPU and GPU performance in-game while adding improved graphical fidelity on Low and Medium settings. The low-res textures were a key point of criticism upon launch, with many fans posting screenshots of a caveman Joel and poking fun at the state of the port.

The patch notes detail 22 fixes for The Last of Us Part I on PC, with a good chunk focused on crashes that occur upon death, when quitting out to the main menu, and during the ‘Shader Building’ process. In our review, we noted how time-consuming the process was — even on decent CPUs such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5800x, putting 100 percent load on all its eight cores. “Fixed an issue where the shader load warning did not appear while relaunching the game,” the post reads. Following that, players had to endure an unusually long loading time, despite the game being installed on SSDs. Naughty Dog has now addressed that issue while adding new features so players can better gauge performance. The HUD menu in settings will now let you enable performance stats, and there are better descriptors for how graphics options will affect your system.

The Last of Us Part I PC Review

“We at Naughty Dog and our partners at Iron Galaxy are closely watching player reports to support future improvements and patches,” the post reads. “We are actively optimising, working on game stability, and implementing additional fixes which will all be included in regularly released future updates.” The partner Iron Galaxy was also responsible for porting Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection to PC, whose technical issues carried over to The Last of Us Part 1 as well. For instance, using the mouse to navigate the camera creates micro stutters, which only get worsened with your character’s movement. The issue doesn’t seem to affect controller inputs, however.

Naughty Dog has also fixed an issue where skipping cutscenes would cause the game to freeze. Translations for foreign languages in the menu options have been corrected, too. By default, The Last of Us Part 1 enables AMD’s FSR2.0 upscaling option to ensure better performance at a reduced loss in visual fidelity. Turns out, the Steam Deck version was having trouble defaulting to it, which has also been fixed. While the condition of the port is way better than it was during launch week, it isn’t perfect yet. You can read the detailed patch notes for v1.0.4.0 on the official website.

The Last of Us Part I is available on PC and PS5.

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The Last of Us Part I PC System Requirements and Features Revealed Ahead of Release

The Last of Us Part I is finally headed to PC on March 28, and ahead of that, Sony has unveiled the system requirements and new features for the same. Created by Naughty Dog themselves — who are responsible for the original PlayStation versions — the PlayStation-PC port comes with a range of adjustable graphics options, support for ultra-wide displays, and compatibility with AMD FSR 2.2 and Nvidia DLSS Super Resolution. The news comes after a short delay, wherein The Last of Us Part I PC was shifted from its original March 3 release date, in order to ensure a polished, big-free experience at launch.

The Last of Us Part I PC system requirements

As with many recent PC releases, system requirements for The Last of Us Part I are on the higher end. In order to run the game at ultra settings, at 4K 60fps, developer Naughty Dog is demanding at least an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or an AMD Radeon RX 7900XT graphics card paired with an Intel Core i5-12600K or an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X. Understandably, this raises the requirements for lower-end specs, and there is no confirmation for ray-tracing either. Regardless of the visual fidelity, players will need to dedicate 100GB of storage to run The Last of Us Part I on PC. Minimum requirements start with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, paired with 16GB of RAM.

While a spec sheet for Medium settings isn’t explicitly mentioned, the leap to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super card for High-quality presets suggests that rigs packing something around a GTX 1060 should run The Last of Us Part I at medium quality. The PC specs list comes directly from the developer, with a Windows 10 64-bit operating system and 100GB of available storage space on an SSD being a common requirement.

The Last of Us Part I ‘minimum’ PC requirements

  • Processor (CPU): Intel Core i7-4770K or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
  • Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4GB) or AMD Radeon RX 470 (4GB)
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Resolution: 1,280×720 pixels at 30fps, at Low preset settings

The Last of Us Part I ‘recommended’ PC requirements

  • Processor (CPU): Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
  • Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super (8GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (8GB)
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Resolution: 1,920×1,080 pixels at 60fps, at High preset settings

The Last of Us Part I ‘performance’ PC requirements

  • Processor (CPU): Intel Core i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
  • Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT
  • RAM: 32GB
  • Resolution: 1,440p at 60fps, at High preset settings

The Last of Us Part I ‘ultra’ PC requirements

  • Processor (CPU): Intel Core i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
  • Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (FSR Quality)
  • RAM: 32GB
  • Resolution: 4K at 60fps, at Ultra preset settings

The Last of Us Part I PC new features

Similar to past PlayStation–PC ports, The Last of Us Part I boasts numerous enhancements and customisable settings. For starters, Nvidia and AMD’s upscaling methods should help players amp up their framerate without sacrificing too much in the visual fidelity department. That said, it’s worth noting that PlayStation has not mentioned support for ray-tracing in their new trailer or the blog post, and merely details all the settings one could tinker with. The Last of Us Part I on PC will let you cap framerates and adjust texture quality, shadows, reflections, and more.

Customisable keybindings for keyboard + mouse purists are inbound, in addition to support for haptic feedback and vibrations through PS5’s DualSense controller, as long as there’s a wired connection. Naughty Dog has also promised support for the last-gen PS4 DualShock 4 as well, a “wide range of other gamepads,” and the ability to combine keyboard and controller inputs. Judging by the blog post, it seems owners of the PS4 controller won’t have to use the third-party DS4Windows software to get it working.

The Last of Us Part I on PC also offers support for both 21:9 ultrawide and 32:9 super ultrawide displays. Immersive 3D Audio is included as well, helping you “better hear the rustle of leaves, the crack of glass, or the footfalls of enemies trying to ambush you.” Of course, this would require the player to own stereo headphones or compatible speakers.

PlayStation has reiterated that content-wise, The Last of Us Part I will include the same core gameplay experience as the PS5 version, released last year. This includes generally enhanced visuals in the vein of The Last of Us Part II, the campaign mode, the Left Behind DLC chapter, a photo mode with a wealth of editing options, a speedrun mode, and a permadeath mode for the masochists out there. The Speedrun mode will be available at launch to those who buy the Deluxe Edition. Owners of the Standard Edition will need to unlock it via game progression.

The Last of Us Part I PC pre-order, price, and bonuses

Pre-orders for The Last of Us Part I PC are now live, granting bonus supplements and weapon parts — essentially giving you a head start. The Standard Edition costs Rs. 3,999 on Steam and Epic Games Store, whereas the Digital Deluxe Edition is priced at Rs. 4,799. The latter includes the Speedrun mode, alongside a bunch of bonus items. They are as follows:

  • Increased Crafting Speed Skill
  • Increased Healing Speed Skill
  • 9mm Reload Speed Increase Upgrade
  • Rifle Clip Capacity Increase Upgrade
  • Explosive Arrows Gameplay Modifier
  • Dither Punk Filter
  • Speedrun Mode
  • Six Weapon Skins: Black Gold 9mm Pistol, Silver Filigree 9mm Pistol, Rubber Tactical Shotgun, Sculpted Oak Shotgun, Arctic White Bow, Carbon Black Bow

Alternatively, there’s a Firefly Edition for The Last of Us Part I on PC, which is available at select locations (India not included), which comes with a Steelbook case and Dark Horse’s The Last of Us: American Dreams comic books — issue #1 to #4. This is the most expensive edition of them all, costing $99.99 (about Rs. 8,207) and comes with a digital voucher code for downloading the game.

The Last of Us Part I releases March 28 on PC.

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The Last of Us Part I PC Port Delayed by Three Weeks, Will Now Arrive on March 28

The Last of Us Part I’s PC port has been delayed by three weeks. In a tweet, developer Naughty Dog confirmed that the much-awaited emotional, zombie-killing survivor game, which was originally set to drop on March 3, will now release on March 28. The studio claims that the additional time will be used to ensure a polished experience at launch that is devoid of bugs or optimisation issues. The delay was partly prompted by the success surrounding HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us, with Naughty Dog not wanting to tarnish its reputation by pushing out a port that’s a little rough around the edges.

“We at the studio have been completely blown away by the outpouring of love and support for The Last of Us these last few weeks. Hearing your love for the HBO adaptation, seeing your beautiful Photo Mode shots, and learning about how the world and characters our studio created nearly a decade ago continue to reach new and old fans alike floors us every day,” the open letter from Naughty Dog reads. “And so we want to make sure that The Last of Us Part 1 PC debut is in the best shape possible. These additional few weeks will allow us to ensure this version of The Last of Us lives up to your, and our, standards.” The developer has yet to reveal the system requirements and new PC-specific features that would normally one-up the PS5 version — launched in September, last year — which improved upon the graphics and loading times.

The Last of Us Part 1 PS5 Review: Absolutely Gorgeous, but Overpriced

But if past PlayStation–PC ports are anything to go by — which have been consistent — players can expect unlocked framerates, support for ultra-wide monitors, and other technical perks tailored to graphics cards. The story, however, remains the same as the original 2013 version, wherein you track the journey of a hardened survivor Joel, who is tasked with smuggling a teenager Ellie across a post-pandemic US, swarming with infected mutants. By grappling with their grief and overcoming eccentric survivors, the pair eventually assume a father-daughter relationship, rekindling a light of hope in Joel’s unhappy mind.

Throughout its marketing drive for the PS5 launch, Sony seemed quite aggressive in making people understand that The Last of Us Part I was a full-blown remake built from the ground up. Even then, the Rs. 4,999/ $70 price tag seemed overpriced to fans — especially those who played the previous versions. There are three variants now — the original 2013 Last of Us, the PS4 remaster, and now a remake. A game so good, Naughty Dog couldn’t resist giving it some touch-ups and releasing it all over again. The Last of Us Part I not only improved upon its visuals but added AI (enemy) upgrades, so they behaved similarly to the ones featured in the critically-acclaimed gory sequel, The Last of Us Part II. A permadeath mode was also included for the gaming masochists out there, alongside over 60 accessibility features, aimed at those suffering from visual, auditory, or motor challenges.

In celebration of the HBO series’ debut last month, The Last of Us Part I was made available as a two-hour free trial to PS Plus Deluxe/ Premium members. Those who are on the fence about getting this game can take it for a test drive and make a well-informed decision if the upgrades are worth the full price. A PS Plus Deluxe subscription costs Rs. 849 per month. Meanwhile, HBO renewed The Last of Us series for a second season, which will chart the events of The Last of Us Part II game.

The Last of Us Part I will release March 28 on PC. Pre-orders are live across Steam and Epic Games Store at Rs. 3,999.

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Naughty Dog Has Moved on From Uncharted, Co-President Neil Druckmann Confirms

Developer Naughty Dog seems to be done with Uncharted. That’s according to its co-President Neil Druckmann, who confirmed in a Buzzfeed interview, that having put their “final brushstroke” on the story with the insanely popular Uncharted 4, the team is ready to move on. That fate could also befall The Last of Us franchise if the company decides not to proceed with a third mainline entry. Druckmann praises his publisher Sony for not forcing them to churn out a sequel and is okay with finishing the story with the “very strong ending,” as seen in The Last of Us Part II.

“[Sony] have supported us every step of the way to follow our passions — meaning that just because something is successful, people think there’s all this pressure and we have to make a sequel. That’s not the case,” Druckmann explained in the interview. “For us, Uncharted was insanely successful — Uncharted 4 was one of our best-selling games — and we’re able to put our final brushstroke on that story and say that we’re done. We’re moving on.” That said, he wasn’t fully clear on whether he was referring to solely the series stalwart Nathan Drake’s story, or the franchise as a whole. Naughty Dog last ported Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection to PC, which included the aforementioned mainline Uncharted 4 and the spin-off title focused on Chloe Frazer, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The former sold over 15 million copies on the PS4, making it the highest-selling Uncharted title in the franchise.

Druckmann also weighed in on a potential The Last of Us Part 3, claiming that for now, the studio is mainly focusing on their sights on the untitled The Last of Us standalone multiplayer experience, revealed at Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest, last year. “We’ve been pretty open that the next Last of Us game is going to be this multiplayer experience, where you’ll be able to enter the world of The Last of Us with your friend and get to experience the tension and the brutality of that world — and a brand new story and cast of characters that live in another city that we haven’t seen yet in the world of The Last of Us,” he said. The Last of Us Part 3, however, isn’t on the priority list, and the studio has zero pressure on deciding what to do with the story.

Earlier this month, Druckmann claimed that he was intrigued by the minimalist storytelling in FromSoftware’s award-winning magnum opus, Elden Ring. Going forward, he plans on experimenting with this style — a far cry from PlayStation’s first-party entries, which mainly rely on cinematics for storytelling. “To me, right now, that’s some of the best joy I get out of games that trust their audience to figure things out,” he told The Washington Post. “[Games] that don’t hold your hand, that’s the stuff I’m really intrigued by going forward.”

The Last of Us is currently in the spotlight, thanks to the successful launch of its live-action adaptation for HBO, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the lead roles. Even Uncharted received a Tom Holland-led live-action film earlier this year, which despite failing on a critical level, managed a good box office collection. The film grossed a worldwide total of $401.7 million (about Rs. 3,277 crore).

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