If you were looking forward to the return of Factions in The Last of Us Part II, it looks like you're out of luck. The game isn't going to have a multiplayer mode after all.
This news comes courtesy of a USgamer interview with Naughty Dog lead game designer Emilia Schatz. She said the team was "focusing on a single-player experience" when asked about the possibility of multiplayer by USgamer. The site followed up with Sony via email and was told The Last of Us Part II would be "a single player game". Sorry, Factions fans. You'll have to make do with the game's single-player campaign.
Earlier this year, The Last of Us Part II co-director Anthony Newman told GameSpot that the game would feature a multiplayer mode. He wasn't specific about what form the multiplayer would take, but he said: "We can confirm there will be multiplayer". In fairness, Schatz and Sony haven't said they won't introduce a multiplayer mode to The Last of Us Part II later down the line. For now, though, it looks like there will only be a single-player campaign in the game.
The Factions mode in the original The Last of Us turned out to be a pretty decent multiplayer experience. Games revolved around finding supplies to keep your clan healthy, with each faction's round lasting 12 weeks. Players could heal survivors and feed them by collecting supplies outside of the target amount. Factions even featured Facebook integration; you could link your Facebook account and make survivors resemble your friends' profile pictures. Sony shuttered the servers for The Last of Us on PS3 earlier this year, but you can still experience the multiplayer mode on the PS4 version.
The Last of Us Part II will launch for PlayStation 4 on February 21st, 2020. This time around, you'll play as Ellie, who's living in a settlement in Jackson, Wyoming. After a tragedy strikes her camp, Ellie must carry out vengeance against a mysterious cult. Troy Baker's character Joel has been confirmed to appear in the game. We'll also see the return of many enemy types from the first game, including the infamous Clickers.
Will you miss multiplayer in The Last of Us Part II? Let us know in the comments below!
