GamesActionThe Last of UsThe Last of Us 2The Last of Us Online’s cancelation reportedly landed some Sony devs in hot water: “There were some heads rolling as a result of that one"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionThe Last of UsThe Last of Us 2The Last of Us Online’s cancelation reportedly landed some Sony devs in hot water: “There were some heads rolling as a result of that one"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)
The cancelation of The Last of Us Online was reportedly not a “bloodless” affair, with punishments reportedly handed out atSony.
Appearing on the Friends Per Second podcast, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier discussed the recentBungielayoffs and expressed his personal concerns around the studio’s next project, extraction shooterMarathon, as well as the fact that"the sentiment I’ve heard is not great around it.” From there, the topic turned to Sony’s live service push, which saw the company announce that it hada dozen such projects in the works.
Jason Schreier joins to talk Bungie cuts + Game Informer crew discuss closure | Friends Per Second - YouTubeWatch On
Jason Schreier joins to talk Bungie cuts + Game Informer crew discuss closure | Friends Per Second - YouTube
Jason Schreier joins to talk Bungie cuts + Game Informer crew discuss closure | Friends Per Second - YouTube
That’s a strategy that Schreier denounced as “trend-chasing to the extreme,” decrying the “very, very long” list of games that were “pivots from single-player studios […] that turned out to be debacles.” Faced with the suggestion that Sony was hedging its bets in an attempt to find the next smash hit that could help sustain it for years to come, however, Schreier said that would be a prohibitively expensive strategy, pointing to last year’scancelation of The Last of Us Online.
Whose heads those were isn’t clear, and nor is their current location, but the term ‘heads will roll’ normally means that some serious punishment was handed down. It sounds as though that happened at Sony rather than Naughty Dog, especially since the studio said that it made the decision to cancel the game to avoid becoming a live service studio beholden to that project’s continuing upkeep rather than the single-player games it’s best known for.
For Schreier, that was the right decision - “I’m glad that Naughty Dog was able to stave that off and cancel that project,” he says - but that fate has already befallen several other studios, sometimes with disastrous results. Batman: Arkham studio Rocksteady pivoted to the flop that was Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,Anthem was a notable low point for BioWare, andArkane Austinwas shuttered followingRedfall’s failure. Maybe Naughty Dog had seen enough of the writing on the wall to know what was best for it.
The Last of Us Online might have been canceled, but for some of its devs it was “the highlight of my career.”
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”