The Last of Us multiplayer‘s cancellation apparently resulted in some serious internal repercussions at Sony. That’s according to journalist and insider Jason Schreier, who revealed that “heads were rolled” at the company, leading to speculations that a high-ranking executive may have been fired in the aftermath.
The Last of Us multiplayer’s cancellation came after 4 years of development
Speaking on a recent episode of the Friends Per Second podcast, Schreier revealed that TLOU multiplayer (also referred to as Factions) was in development for four years before it was canned. What’s more is that “hundreds” of people were working on the project, so its cancellation “wasn’t bloodless,” according to Schreier.
The whole thing ended up being very costly, and although Naughty Dog averted a live service disaster (thanks in part to Bungie’s feedback on it), someone did end up paying the price.
Based on the timeline of events, fans are speculating that it was veteran PlayStation executive Connie Booth who was ousted following Sony’s live service collapse that saw a number of projects shelved.
Booth had spent over 25 years at Sony before reports emerged that she was fired. It wasn’t until news of her departure made rounds that Sony confirmed she was no longer with the company.
Elsewhere, Schreier re-confirmed that Guerrilla Games’ Horizon multiplayer project is still in development.