The Last of Us Part 2 was supposed to get an unofficial multiplayer mode in September. But that’s not going to happen.
Anyone who’s been waiting for years for a new multiplayer mode in *The Last of Us 2* probably shouldn’t get their hopes up anymore. First, Naughty Dog’s official project disappeared; now the fan-made alternative has been scrapped as well.
Modder Speclizer had been working since January 2026 to add a custom multiplayer mode to *The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered* on PC. The project was already quite far along and was set to be released in September.
But that’s no longer going to happen: Speclizer explains that he received a letter on behalf of Sony Interactive Entertainment asking him not to release the mod. The project has therefore been shelved.
The multiplayer was already quite far along
As recently as late August, it looked like Speclizer’s project would actually be coming your way soon. What started as a rather shaky 1-on-1 experiment had turned into a full-fledged multiplayer game. The plans included public matchmaking, custom loadouts with weapons and abilities, and a ranked mode. Five maps were already playable, including the School, the Resort, and the Gas Station from the main game.
Back in June, Speclizer released more than 25 minutes of uncut gameplay:
It’s over now. Speclizer writes that he is “extremely sad” that the multiplayer mode will never see the light of day. Instead, he says he plans to work on his own project next.
The exact contents of the letter are not publicly known. Neither Sony nor Naughty Dog has yet issued a statement regarding this specific case.
However, funding may have played a role: Speclizer runs a Patreon page where, among other things, he offered access to early test builds. Although reports indicated that the finished multiplayer mode was supposed to be released for free, dealing with third-party brands and game content quickly becomes a sensitive issue, especially with fan-funded projects.
This somehow seems familiar
For The Last of Us fans, this story is likely to bring back memories: Naughty Dog itself worked for years on a major standalone multiplayer game that had emerged from the online plans for The Last of Us Part 2. Then, in December 2023, the project was canceled.
At the time, the studio explained that the scope of the project had grown to such an extent that Naughty Dog would have had to devote virtually all of its resources to it in order to provide new content for years to come. The developers therefore had to make a decision: become a pure live-service studio or continue producing the major single-player games for which Naughty Dog is known. They chose the latter.
What do you think: Is it understandable that Sony pulled the plug on a fan-funded project, or should they have just let the free multiplayer mod run its course?
