Naughty Dog Reportedly Lays Off At Least 25 With Last Of Us Multiplayer Game ‘On Ice’

Kotaku Naughty dog, Sony’s first-party developer behind The Last of Us, Uncharted and other franchises has been reported to have laid off 25 developers by cutting short their contracts. Two of the two people who spoke to us said that layoffs started last week. Kotaku’s The affected departments ranged from Art to Production. Naughty Dog Quality assurance testing was the department that laid off most of its employees. 

It was part of an overall downsizing that 25 contract developers had been laid off. Kotaku reports that full-time staff do not appear to be affected. According to the sources of The Publication, severance payments are not given to employees who have been laid off. Those affected as well those working for Naughty Dog continue to be “under pressure” to keep this information quiet. 

Kotaku says the contracts of those affected won’t be officially cut until the end of October and those hit are expected to work through the month. 

Play Informer PlayStation has been contacted to request a statement or comment. 

The following is a list of the most recent and current members. Kotaku’s Report, the publication states that one of their sources said Naughty Dog’s in-development Last of Us multi-player game isn’t completely canceled at this time but “basically on hold.” It follows news earlier in the year when Naughty-Dog said that the game needed more time and “our team would continue to work” on it, along with other games being developed, such as a new single player experience.

The studio released a new statement a couple of weeks later. Bloomberg The report stated that the development team was reduced after a recent assessment. It was reported that Sony, after purchasing Bungie for $3.6 Billion in January of 2013, asked the developer of Destiny 2 to evaluate Last of Us Multiplayer Game’s progress. Bungie, according to reports, questioned the long-term viability of the Last Of Us multiplayer game as a game for live service. This led Naughty Dog to reassess the game and reduce the development team. 

[Source: Kotaku]

Hearts of the People Play Informer Staff are still with all those affected and at the studio.