Would a multiplayer only Last of Us game even work?

[Kane99]

I'm sure you all know by now, but the Last of Us online was scrapped recently, after years of fans clamoring for it. It was originally meant to be a mode released alongside the Last of Us 2, but was put on hold. Then it was revealed they wanted to make it its own game instead, and that too was scrapped. And so far, there is no news of what they might do next. But, the online mode was cancelled, likely due to its troubled development. 

But with the way live service games have gone, I am kind of thankful they didn't go through with it. I would love to have another multiplayer mode in this world, but I have a feeling they will find some way of hurting it. Like charging tons on cosmetics and random DLC. For all we know, it could become something like a Fortnite, or GTA V. Where everything gets monetized and you have to grind to make enough. Of course I don't think Naughty Dog is as greedy as Epic or Rockstar, but once they see that money rolling in, there's no telling what they take from it. They could become greedy eventually. 

Are you for an online Last of Us game? Or do you kind of hope they don't go down that rabbit hole? Or at the least, don't make it into some live service game? 

[Reality vs Adventure]

I would have loved to see a TLOU 2 multiplayer. I'm not big on online play, but there are only a very select few I'm willing to go online for and TLOU was one of them. They might as well since they are wasting time with all these unnecessary remakes. I believe the developers are perfectionists, so if they don't believe multiplayer is feasible, I'd respect their decision. 

[Shagger]

the Factions multiplayer in the original game was actually really good. I'm actually still kind of pissed that it was diched for TLOU Part 2 and the remake. I know that it was a side dish to the entrée that was the single player campaign and vast majority of players were there for that, but that's why I was kind of exited for a stand alone multiplayer TLOU title with the concept of Factions more fleshed out and further developed. Something like TLOU meets Destiny, only not crap. It could have been really good, but I get why a significant portion of the fanbase wasn't hyped for it.

[Debashis]

I understand the concerns about the potential monetization and grinding in an online Last of Us game. While it could be exciting to have a multiplayer mode, it's also reasonable to hope that it doesn't become a live service game. It's important for developers to strike a balance between providing additional content and preserving the integrity of the game.

[Dismal_Bliss]

I don't play much in the way of online multiplayer games, so I am kinda indifferent. I love the Last of Us and it's sequel when it comes to the storyline/campaign. 

I could see how an online mutiplayer game could be cool if it was massive like Final Fantasy 14. It could have a huge open world with settlements and you could join factions and battle members of other nearby towns and gangs and also have to deal with the random clickers, etc. But I can also see how programming that kind of game would be a monumental undertaking.

[Heatman]

Unfortunately, Naughty Dog had two paths to choose from the development of the game which was to either become a solely live service games studio or continue to focus on single-player narrative games. They eventually had to go with focusing on single-player narrative games. The live service might have worked but they can't do both of them at once probably. 

[Scorpion]

I share your concerns. An online Last of Us game could easily become overly monetized. Better to preserve the original experience.

[killamch89]

I don't think so either. Like others have said here, it'll provide a very lacklustre and generic experience.