The gaming world has been rocked by massive layoffs in recent weeks. Naughty Dog, developer of beloved franchises like Last of Us and Uncharted, is latest visitor to layoff wave. The Sony-affiliated studio has laid off 25 people.

The Last of Us Multiplayer development halted

Naughty Dog has reportedly begun a new round of layoffs, terminating the contracts of at least 25 testers. According to sources, the layoffs were made from the team of the new game, The Last of Us Multiplayer. This means that the next installment in the series will be delayed.

It’s said that Naughty Dog’s decision mostly affected part-time or project-based employees, but not full-time staff. Therefore, it is also claimed that the developer does not want to give severance pay to those laid off.

The Multiplayer project, which was said to create a “brand new experience” for The Last of Us, is currently at a standstill. Although the game has not been completely canceled, it has been frozen. This follows previous reports that the game’s development has slowed down.

Naughty Dog first acknowledged the challenges of developing a multiplayer title earlier this year, saying that more time was needed. The game was said to feature competitive gameplay, building on its storytelling strengths.

Following the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, Naughty Dog executives want to take the series in a different direction. This indicates that the uncertainty for multiplayer will continue for a while.

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