The Last of Us’ multiplayer game gets new concept art, 2023 reveal

PlayStation developer Naughty Dog gave The Last of Us fans another tease of the studio’s upcoming multiplayer game on Wednesday, and pledged to reveal “new details” about the stand-alone project later this year.

Neil Druckmann (Naughty Dog) revealed yet another piece from the multiplayer-game based on the post-apocalyptic franchise. That artwork shows a pair of survivors approaching a massive, grounded cruise ship — no doubt a resource of scavenged materials and source of potential dangers — in a ruined coastal city.

Later this year, Druckmann promises “some fun surprises” for The Last of Us fans, “the future of this franchise,” and “some details on our ambitious The Last of Us multiplayer game.” He added, “the project is shaping up to be a fresh, new experience from our studio, but one rooted in Naughty Dog’s passion for delivering incredible stories, characters, and gameplay.”

Vinit Agarwal (game designer) is leading the Last of Us multiplayer spinoff. Part 2 of The Last of UsJoe Pettinati, Naughtydog’s creative director; Anthony Newman, Naughtydog’s lead designer.

Druckmann revealed first details about the TLOU multiplayer game last summer, saying that the untitled project will be as big as the developer’s single-player games, “and in some ways bigger.”

“It’s got a story. The way we’re telling the story is very unique to this game,” Druckmann said. “It has a brand-new cast of characters. It takes place in another part of the United States.”

Druckmann dropped the latest details as part of The Last of Us’ impending 10-year anniversary. The original PlayStation 3 game was released on June 14, 2013, and, yes, you’re very old now.

In the last ten years, the franchise has evolved from an action-packed game to a multimedia multi-platform franchise. The biggest example of that growth is Naughty Dog and HBO’s live-action adaptation of Last of Us. This series, which stars Bella Ramsey & Pedro Pascal, will debut on January 15. There is also a PC version. Part I of The Last of Us, the studio’s second re-release of the first game, is due in March.