The Last Of Us Factions 2 is officially canceled. Good or Bad?

As I write these lines, the fandom of the Last of Us video game franchise is stirred by the official cancellation of the long-awaited Factions 2 multiplayer standalone game. This news emerged soon after Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) did a 180 over its "Games As A Service (GAAS)" push by freezing (or canceling) almost half of its upcoming GAAS titles. This development was sudden but not unexpected by those who have followed the project closely since its announcement in 2020.

Here is the official statement by Naughty Dog, the developer of the The Last of Us video games

There is a lot to take in, so let's start from the beginning

What is The Last of Us Factions Multiplayer mode?

The original Factions multiplayer mode was shipped in 2013 with the first The Last of Us game. It was a full-fledged multiplayer suite with three main gameplay modes.

In the Supply Raid game mode, both teams start with 20 respawns. The objective of the match is to eliminate the opposing team. You can find special crates throughout the map, usually located in open and dangerous areas. These boxes contain the materials required to craft items. Additionally, there are health kits scattered throughout the map. Working as a team and not acting as a lone wolf is recommended. Teamwork is essential to succeed in the game.

In the Interrogation game mode, the objective is to locate a lockbox containing supplies. A player must capture an enemy and perform an interrogation to achieve this. This process takes slightly longer than a regular execution. Five interrogations are required to reveal the lockbox's location and unlock it. It is crucial to work together, as being killed can put your team at a disadvantage. If the enemy team locates your lockbox, it is essential to defend and prevent them from unlocking it. Unlike other game modes, there are no lives - players can respawn infinitely. Therefore, "sudden death" cannot occur.

In the Survivors mode of the game, every player has only one life per round and cannot respawn. The first team to win four rounds will be declared the winner of the match. As there are no respawns, teamwork and survival become critical.

It was the cherry on top of a stellar single-player experience, with its progression system and a captivating meta-game.

Why is it so appealing?

Specific original gameplay mechanics made the Factions multiplayer mode a unique, popular experience. These mechanics are

Crafting. Players can craft unique items in the game, just like in single-player mode. However, crafting takes place in real-time and leaves the player open to enemy attacks while doing this. Additionally, the game will announce to the teammates that crafting is taking place. The enemy team can hear this information, which can reveal the player's location.

Listen Mode. With a button press, the players can reveal the silhouettes of all enemies that produce sounds near their location for a limited time. This ability can be upgraded to provide more information for more time.

Clans. In Factions, players lead a clan of survivors through 12 weeks as either part of the "Fireflies" or "Hunters" factions. Each match played counts as a single in-game day and offers players chances to gather supplies to boost their clan's survivor numbers and overall clan health.

Random Events and Missions. Through 12 in-game weeks, the clan will face several unexpected events that may negatively or positively impact the survivors. To minimize losses or maximize gains, the player must choose an additional set of objectives (missions) to complete while participating in the main game modes. The catch here is that these missions become more challenging as you choose the same set of objectives (for example, the mission "perform three takedown kills" later becomes "Perform six takedown kills," etc.) The player has to pick new sets of missions that require a broader set of skills and offer great variety. This system is still unmatched by any other multiplayer game.

These combined mechanics make a highly immersive gaming experience that rewards risk and teamwork much more than playing safe as a lone wolf. Being conservative in your gameplay may result in wiping your whole clan. If this happens before the 12-week period concludes, it's game over!

Yes, it is a multiplayer mode with a "game over" screen.

How did the standalone game come to be?

Initially, a new and improved multiplayer component was promised to be part of the "The Last Of Us Part 2" game, launched in 2020. However, soon before its release, Naughty Dog announced they would make a new multiplayer game based on the original Factions. They claimed this new game would be richer in features and more significant in scope than its predecessor. Based on that, they said that Part 2 would ship without a multiplayer suite.

Fans around the world were disgruntled as Factions was very popular. However, they wanted most a new Last of Us campaign and, as it unfolded, were in for a treat. Part 2 was critically acclaimed and considered one of the best games ever.

Why were TLOU fans excited over the new Factions standalone game?

The sheer quality of Part 2 took fans away. The graphics, the combat scenarios and animations, the weapon handling, and the combat fluidity stayed with them, let alone the haunting story itself. The significant improvements in the core gameplay mechanics over Part 1 were so profound that fans could only dream of playing a rich multiplayer game based on all that new stuff.

Adding all the merits of the original Factions MP mode, the players were thirsty for more!

What role did Bungie play in all this?

It is true that since its announcement, Naughty Dog has gone dark on this highly anticipated project. As fans demanded updates on development, Neil Druckmann, Naughty Dog's President and game director, avoided giving any substantial information that would appease the crowds. Fans realized that this game was going through development hell. And they were not wrong.

Almost a year ago, a significant leak revealed that Bungie, a studio newly acquired by Sony and handler of the Destiny GAAS, scrutinized the new Factions project and commented negatively on its lasting appeal and monetization prospects. Soon after that, the game development entered a hiatus, and as a result, today's cancellation announcement took place.

Is Bungie the one to be blamed for this? Time will tell, but I am sure that their input catalyzed Sony heads to reevaluate the game and eventually kill it.

Conclusions and Final Thoughts

I was eager to play this new Factions game as I adored the first one. When the mode was detracted from Part 2, I was agitated but still in good faith regarding the studio. After all, they never missed in the past, so I was confident this could turn out well.

Currently passing his leadership as SIE CEO, Jim Ryan will be remembered as an advocate for more GAAS in the Playstation ecosystem, a stance criticized by the core fanbase. PlayStation is well known for high-quality single-player games and intuitive multiplayer modes accompanying the main game. For example, Ghost of Tsushima's Legends MP mode is so rich that it can stand alone, yet it is part of the main package.

Now that Jim Ryan has left, Sony is cleaning up any unnecessary GAAS titles. The new leadership has shifted focus back to single-player experiences, which is good, but some games had to be purged.

It seems that Factions 2 was a victim of 2 approaches, each one backed by its own ideology.

The first was the thirst for more monetization, a notion cultivated by Jim Ryan and his team. To monetize this mode, they ripped it off from Part 2's original release, but things did not work. The developers, unable to answer "how to extract money out of our fans," delayed the game enough to stick out as problematic. Bungie put the seal on the whole ordeal.

The second one was the paradigm shift within Sony's strategic planning following the departure of Jim Ryan. The return to established values made Factions 2 a redundant game with no fit within the new plan. I more than agree.

In "The Last of Us Part 2 Remaster," there is a new roguelike mode called No Return. It contains several game modes that are obviously remnants of the now-abandoned Factions 2 game.

I am happy that we finally got closure to this drama. Hopefully, Naughty Dog will snap out of it quickly and resume developing the masterpieces they are known for.

And, who knows, a remastered OG Factions will grace us again. We are just a DLC away!