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With The Last of Us franchise being one of, if not the most renowned Sony games and live-service devotee Jim Ryan still serving as the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment despite his then-impending departure, many were surprised when the studio pulled the plug on Naughty Dogs multiplayer title set in The Last of Us universe in late 2023, officially announcing its cancellation. Recently, former SIE Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida shared new details on TLoU Onlines shutdown, revealing that it was another studio that influenced Sonys decision to cancel the project.Naughty DogSpeaking on the Sacred Symbols+ podcast (via PushSquare), Yoshida revealed that the game was already in a playable state when it got canned, stating that he played the game and it was great. However, according to the ex-president, Destiny creator Bungie later explained to Sony executives that live-service games need not only to be shipped but also maintained, which apparently was enough of an argument for the studio to cancel the project in favor of Naughty Dogs sci-fi adventure title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, revealed at last years The Game Awards.The idea for The Last of Us Online came from Naughty Dog and they really wanted to make it, Yoshida said. But Bungie explained what it takes to make live-service games, and Naughty Dog realized, Oops, we cant do that! If we do it, we cant make Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. So that was a lack of foresight.Additionally, the former president shared insights into Sonys overall approach to live-service titles, emphasizing that no first-party studio has been directly forced to develop live-service games.Instead, studios usually choose themselves to focus on particular initiatives when they see what the higher-ups are most interested in at the time, hoping that catering to the whims and wishes of executives will increase their chances of getting a project approved and supported. Its not like [CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Hermen Hulst] is telling teams they need to make live-service games, its likely mutual, notes Yoshida.Naughty DogIn hindsight, the cancellation of The Last of Us Online can be seen as the beginning of Sonys shift in priorities, marking one of the first live-service games to be scrapped. Since then, the studio has also taken behind the barn an unnamed project from London Studio, a Twisted Metal live-service title, a Destiny spin-off from Bungie, two games from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games, and, of course, the infamous Concord. Most recently, they also postponed their multiplayer heist simulator, Fairgame$, to 2026, with the gaming communitys feedback to this particular title suggesting that, in this case, canceling the game before it ever launches might be in the studios best interest.Dont forget to join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post The Last of Us Online Was Canceled in Favor of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet appeared first on CG SHARES.